April 15, 2025 — As Iran grapples with rising inflation and economic hardship, a new wave of price hikes in the medical sector is compounding the public’s burden. The elimination of the preferential exchange rate for importing medical equipment has triggered concern among officials and healthcare providers alike, with many warning that the cost of essential medicines and devices is becoming unaffordable.
Mehdi Pirsalehi, head of the Food and Drug Administration, announced that the government has officially discontinued the 4,200 tomans exchange rate previously used for importing medical equipment. Speaking to the Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Tasnim News Agency on Sunday, April 13, Pirsalehi stated that the rate will now be adjusted to 28,500 tomans — a sevenfold increase.
According to Pirsalehi, the Central Bank will allocate $3.5 billion at the new preferential rate of 28,500 tomans, along with an additional $1.5 billion at a negotiated rate, for the import of medicine and medical equipment this year. However, this shift in policy is already being felt in the healthcare system.
In February 2025, MP Hossein Samsami warned that the fluctuating and rising official exchange rate had already caused a more than tenfold increase in the cost of importing medical equipment. He noted that many hospitals are now unable to afford essential devices and supplies. Samsami also emphasized that insurance companies are largely incapable of covering these rising expenses, turning what was once an economic issue into a life-or-death matter for many citizens.
When asked if patients should expect a rise in medical costs, Pirsalehi admitted that the increase in the exchange rate will inevitably be borne by the public. “The difference in the cost of equipment will be passed on to patients through the insurance system and the broader healthcare network,” he said. “We hope to control how much of this burden falls on the people, but naturally, we will see some increase in medical equipment prices.”
The impact of this policy change is particularly severe given that roughly 30 percent of Iran’s population lives below the poverty line. Critics argue that the government is shifting the weight of its economic problems onto the public by cutting the preferential currency, effectively making healthcare less accessible for millions.
In a separate interview with the ILNA news agency on April 12, Mohammad Jamalian, a member of the Parliament’s Health, Treatment, and Medical Education Commission, revealed that the prices of some medicines have surged by as much as 50 percent. According to Jamalian, some pharmaceutical products have seen price increases of up to 200 percent, and there is currently a “severe shortage” of around 150 types of medication.
Jamalian also referenced last year’s “Darouyar” plan, which was introduced to stabilize the pharmaceutical sector. He stressed that the timely allocation of foreign currency remains a critical factor in preventing drug shortages. Yet, he acknowledged that the rising cost of drugs continues to fall squarely on the shoulders of ordinary people.
Recent reports from domestic media underscore the scale of the crisis. According to Bourse Press, Darou Pakhsh Pharmaceutical Mfg. Co. received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to raise the prices of 75 pharmaceutical products by between 5 and 147 percent. Other reports indicate that over 200 drugs have seen at least a 20 percent price increase since the beginning of 2025.
Pharmacies across Tehran confirm that most pharmaceutical companies have already submitted official requests to raise prices and are awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
As economic pressures mount, access to affordable healthcare in Iran is becoming increasingly out of reach — a development that threatens to deepen the country’s already worsening social crisis.
