Over the past week, another Iranian nurse tragically ended his life; he was 32 years old and from Kermanshah. In the first week of April, a cardiologist also committed suicide.
These two heartbreaking incidents have further exacerbated the alarming issue of suicides among medical personnel. Work-related stress and mental pressures on healthcare staff are considered the primary reasons behind these tragic acts.
Precarious Employment Conditions
Despite a severe shortage of nurses in hospitals, they are often offered only 89-day short-term work contracts. This type of contract deprives nurses of many rights and subsequent claims in case of unemployment, leading to their being referred to as ‘seasonal workers.’
Calls for Action Unheeded
Despite warnings from the Scientific Association of Psychiatrists of Iran to the Ministry of Health about the serious mental condition of medical staff, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising number of suicides, no specific action has been taken to rectify and improve the situation.
News about the migration or suicides of healthcare workers has become a priority in media reports. The exact number of nurse suicides is not officially known, but the figures are alarming.
Recent Tragic Cases
On April 9, the suicide of Sasan, a 32-year-old nurse at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Kermanshah, made headlines.
He worked in the poisoning department, which ironically deals with suicide cases, and died in the same department. Reports indicate that after his contract was not renewed, he ended his life due to mental distress.
In August of the previous year, a male nurse committed suicide by ingesting aluminum phosphide tablets at the same hospital, and two days later, a female nurse died in another hospital in Kermanshah.
Alarming Statistics and Calls for Change
Mohammad Sharifi Moghadam, Secretary General of the Nursing House, described the number of deaths of young nurses in the current Iranian year as high, but did not provide specific statistics.
He believes that the atmosphere is oppressive for nurses, and all officials are responsible for creating such an environment.
Fariborz Dartaj, the head of the Educational Psychology Association of Iran, described the situation of nurses as particularly stressful due to the nature of their job.
Citing research conducted in 2021 among nurses in Malayer city, he stated: “15.38 percent of nurses had moderate to severe depression, and 46.47% had moderate to severe anxiety. 27.56% had suicidal thoughts, and 9.94% were ready to commit suicide.”
Since the publication of these alarming results, no report has been published about correcting and improving the situation of nurses.
Staffing Shortages and Overwork
According to the World Bank, there are only two active nurses in Iran for every thousand people, based on data from the World Health Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) global health workforce statistics, with the latest information about Iran dating back to 2018.
The working hours of nurses are supposed to be 44 hours per week or 175 hours per month, but due to staffing shortages in most centers, nurses often have to work 300 to 400 hours.
The overtime pay for these nurses in public hospitals is calculated at a mere 20,000 tomans (approximately $0.50) per hour.
Iranian nurses are protesting about the lack of manpower, job insecurity, and low salaries that disrupt the balance of their lives.
Exodus of Nurses and Inaction
Last November, the general secretary of the nursing house announced, “Patients are dying because of the lack of nurses. More than three thousand nurses migrate from the country every year, but the Ministry of Health does not even add this number to the medical staff.”
In the summer of 2023, the head of the nursing system organization stated: “With 20 to 30 thousand unemployed nurses in the country, we are facing a shortage of more than 100 thousand nurses.”
The tragic suicides, alarming statistics, and desperate calls for action highlight the dire need for immediate and comprehensive measures to address the plight of medical staff, particularly nurses, in Iran.
