Like other parts of Iranian society, nurses have been struggling with numerous social, economic, and professional challenges in recent years. However, none of these overwhelming hardships have prevented nurses from their primary mission.

Every fellow citizen vividly remembers that during the peak of the COVID-19, while the government’s unscientific policies and adherence to superstitious and ideological approaches were exponentially increasing the death rates, it was these devoted healthcare workers who, by sacrificing their own lives and health, strived to reduce the mortality rate of our compatriots.

On August 2nd, 2024, following the death of Parvaneh Mandani, a 32-year-old nurse from Fars Province who is believed to have died from overwork, the nurses’ protest began.[1] As of August 27, strikes and demonstrations have been reported in over 20 major cities. On the same day, videos emerged online showing Islamic Republic police suppressing the ongoing peaceful protests. The precise number of arbitrary arrests is still unclear. Pouya Esfandiari, Zahra Tamandon, Firouzeh Mojrian Shargh, and at least two other nurses in Arak have been detained. ^{1, [2]}

Nurses’ Key Demands

• Fair Wages: Increase salaries to at least 30 million tomans (approx. $505 USD) to align with inflation and ensure minimum income is above the poverty line. ¹
• Regulation Enforcement: Proper implementation of nursing service regulations and removal of non-nursing responsibilities. ¹
• Overtime Work: Make overtime voluntary, cap it at 80 hours per month, and significantly increase overtime pay from the current rate of less than 25,000 tomans per hour. ¹
• Rehiring of Nurses: Reinstate nurses unjustly dismissed after the COVID-19 pandemic. In Iran, there is an average of 15 nurses per 10,000 people, whereas globally, the density of nursing personnel was 37.7 per 10,000 population. ^{1, [3]}

Now, as economic hardships have reached a breaking point, forcing some nurses to emigrate and those who remain to endure compulsory overtime with a meager and disgraceful wage; now, nurses, like other educated professionals in the country, are caught between the sorrow of leaving their homeland or being crushed by the gears of exploitation and injustice, their civil protests, peaceful demonstrations, and strikes over the past month have not only failed to elicit an appropriate response from the government but have also, in some cases, been met with repression by security forces and even the arrest of several nursing community activists. The very security forces who have undoubtedly received care from these “angels of health” numerous times are now shamelessly engaged in suppressing and arresting these compassionate and honorable individuals. The bitter irony is that this lack of accountability and the arrests coincide with the tenure of a president who, given his educational and professional background, should be more familiar with the deep-seated problems of healthcare workers and the legitimate demands of nurses than his predecessors.

As you know, dictators attempt to spread division between the opposition inside and outside the country, as well as among various professional, social, and human rights groups. Fortunately, reports indicate solidarity among domestic labor forces in Iran, such as retirees, workers, and teachers, with the nurses and their support for their protests and strikes. We, too, in our capacity as active opposition forces abroad, declare our solidarity with the nurse’ protests.

The International Iranian Physicians and Healthcare Providers Association (IIPHA) and the other signatories of this statement, while offering unconditional support for the rightful demands and civil protests of Iranian nurses, strongly condemn any violent confrontation and suppression of civil struggles. We urge all professional, civil, and social groups, regardless of political or ethnic affiliations, to join in supporting these saviors of health. Otherwise, the harm and deterioration of nurses, as a cornerstone of public health, will lead to the collapse of the healthcare system.

[1] https://iranhumanrights.org/2024/08/nurses-strikes-escalate-across-iran-as-authorities-intensify-repression/#:~:text=Nurses’%20Strikes%20Escalate%20Across%20Iran%20as%20Authorities%20Intensify%20Repression,-Peaceful%20Protests%20for&text=August%2028%2C%202024%20%E2%80%93%20As%20nurses,and%20immediately%20cease%20violent%20crackdowns.

[2] https://www.iranintl.com/202408259610

[3]https://data.who.int/indicators/i/B54EB15/5C8435F#:~:text=Worldwide%2C%20the%20density%20of%20nursing,10%20000%20population%20in%202022.