Iranian Women's Lack of Access to Basic Healthcare

Welcome to another episode of the NCRI Women's Committee Podcasts.

In Iran, the fundamental right to healthcare is increasingly out of reach, particularly for women, as the regime prioritizes its survival over the welfare of its people. Under the dictatorship of Velayat al-Faqih, preserving the regime takes precedence, often at the expense of citizens' basic rights.

The healthcare crisis in Iran is exacerbated by widespread poverty and soaring costs, leaving many unable to access essential medical services. For women, the situation is even more dire, as they are systematically treated as second-class citizens.

Nahid Khodakarmi, head of Iran's Midwifery Association, highlighted the issue in 2017, noting the significant gaps in women’s health services, particularly for pregnant mothers. “Comprehensive health centers and bases lack adequate services for women's health, fertility, and maternity care, which face serious challenges and a troubling lack of transparency,” Khodakarmi said.

According to Khodakarami, until 2015, all health centers had three units including “family planning,” “mother and child’s health,” and “midwifery.” These units were completely eliminated from the Plan on the Transformation of the Health System in 2016. Therefore, there no longer are any departments specifically concentrated on pregnancy health and pregnant women. (ISNA, January 7, 2017)

Notably, the systemic collapse of healthcare services cannot be rebuilt under a regime marred by misogyny and disregard for human rights.

Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, a former Minister of Health, recently shed light on the dire consequences of this neglect.

“One of the critical issues we’ve faced for years is the shortage of female specialist doctors in various fields,” Dastjerdi explained. “This has deterred many women from seeking medical attention until their conditions become chronic or life-threatening, significantly increasing morbidity and mortality rates among women.”

Dastjerdi cited breast cancer as a stark example. While the global average age of onset is typically over 55, Iranian women are commonly diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 49. “Tragically, many women delay seeing a doctor until tumors have grown beyond 4 to 5 centimeters, making treatment less effective and mortality rates alarmingly high,” she noted. The root cause, according to Dastjerdi, is the lack of female cancer specialists and surgeons in Iran. (ISNA, February 8, 2024)

With women disproportionately affected by the regime’s negligence, the healthcare crisis serves as a stark reminder of the systemic oppression they endure in Iran.