The director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, denounced in a post made this Thursday (29) on the social network According to him, the episodes prevented the provision of care to injured people who needed medical care.
According to Tedros, the WHO was able to confirm an attack that occurred in early January at Khomeini Hospital, located in the city of Ilam, in western Iran.
“Acts of violence were recorded in and around the unit after the transfer of injured people to the hospital,” he said, adding that medical services and the supply of supplies were interrupted and affected.
Also according to the director general, another hospital affected was Sina Hospital, in Tehran, where tear gas was used. The information, as Tedros wrote, was also confirmed by the WHO based on reports verified by the organization.
The head of the UN agency expressed concern about reports of attacks on health workers and the detention by the Islamic regime of at least five doctors while treating injured patients in Iran.
“I call for the release of any detained healthcare professional. Healthcare staff should never be intimidated,” he declared in the post.
The WHO reported that it had identified damage to several other medical facilities in Iran. According to the organization, at least ten pre-hospital emergency posts were affected, with more than 50 paramedics injured and around 200 ambulances damaged in recent weeks.
Tedros stated that the crisis in Iran has put pressure on the country’s healthcare system and reinforced the need to protect medical units.
“It is essential that health centers are protected and can provide essential services without obstacles, especially in times of crisis”, he concluded, stating that medical assistance “should not be the target of violence”.
