Civil and Political Activists Call on World Health Organization: Help Prevent Catastrophe in Iran
Hundreds of Iranian civil and political activists have called on the World Health Organization (WHO) in a letter to its chief, citing various dimensions of the coronavirus crisis, urging the organization to help prevent a catastrophe in Iran.
In this open letter addressed to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, with reference to shortages of hardware and software equipment, the authors consider controlling this disease beyond the capacity of the Islamic Republic government.
The letter’s authors have accused the Iranian government of “negligence and complacency,” adopting “irresponsible decisions” and “cover-ups,” emphasizing that these actions “have fueled the spread of this disease and caused many citizens to become infected.”
The letter’s authors have asked the World Health Organization to send “specialized teams to critical areas” in Iran under UN supervision to familiarize themselves with the realities of this crisis, which contradict official government reports.
Previously, approximately 150 political and union activists, artists, and journalists inside and outside Iran criticized the government’s policy in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, stating that “various forms of discrimination, lack of access to treatment and health facilities have intensified, and the weakened health and medical system in the shadow of privatization has reached the brink of collapse.”
The World Health Organization announced on March 3 that it had sent a six-member team with 7.5 tons of medical equipment, including coronavirus detection kits, masks, and ventilators, to Tehran.
The World Health Organization also sent an expert team to Tehran on March 10 to assess Iran’s preparedness to combat coronavirus.
Rick Brennan, the WHO’s emergency operations manager for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, who traveled to Tehran with this team, told Reuters on March 27 that the number of officially confirmed cases in Iran might be only one-fifth of the actual number, but “tests are rapidly increasing, so the number of cases will increase.”
He emphasized that official data and information in Iran remain the main weakness in the path of the new coronavirus spread in the country.
However, Iranian government officials say the World Health Organization has confirmed their performance in fighting coronavirus.
Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, said on Tuesday, April 1, in a meeting of the coronavirus crisis response task force that the World Health Organization’s chart “showed that Iran’s conditions are better than other countries.” He did not provide further clarification about the details of this chart.
Source: Radio Farda
