“Chain Deaths” of Specialty Medical Students in Iran
Following reports of consecutive deaths of specialty medical students (residents) in Iran, two officials from Iranian medical institutions told the ROKNA news agency about “significant psychological harms” to these students and stated that the cause of these deaths “is under investigation.”
Ali Nikjou, a psychiatry specialist and member of the central board of the Islamic Association of Iranian Physicians, attributed the cause of these “chain deaths” to suicide in his Twitter post, writing: “Serial suicides of residents is a painful tragedy. The national capital of this country has either gone, or been crushed in a corner, or with struggle and effort they endure a life harder than ever, or end their lives so tragically. Death these days is no longer our profession; it has become our life itself. Despair! Despair!”
Following such messages, officials were questioned on the matter, and according to the spokesperson for the Public Relations of the Medical System Organization of Iran, “precise information has not yet been completed and investigations regarding these deaths are under review.”
According to ROKNA news agency reports, “occupational discrimination and drug abuse” have been mentioned as factors being investigated in the deaths of these students.
Mohammad Sharifi Moghadam, Secretary General of the House of Nursing of Iran, confirmed the suspicious deaths of several specialty medical students in recent weeks and said: “Medical investigations should be conducted regarding the underlying cause of consecutive resident deaths, and until final investigation results are announced, the cause of death cannot be stated precisely, but it can be predicted that drug overdose or suicide could be the cause of death in these individuals.”
The Secretary General of the House of Nursing also stated that “long working hours, high pressure to complete training, and certainly very low salaries between 2 to 3 million tomans cause significant psychological harms to residents, and this issue sometimes drives them toward drug abuse. As many cases of drug abuse have been observed among this group.”
According to Mr. Sharifi Moghadam, these individuals have no advocate to support their rights and are subjected to discrimination by the Medical System Organization compared to specialist physicians.
However, Hossein Kermanpoor, the spokesperson for the Public Relations of the Medical System Organization, said that the rate of drug abuse among medical staff is not so high that we can say these individuals who have died consecutively were under the influence of drugs. A precise, scientific, and specialized investigation must be conducted.
Source: Radio Farda
