Iran’s Nursing Crisis: Low Wages, Heavy Workloads, and Mass Migration Artwork

NCRI Women's Committee

We work extensively with Iranian women outside the country and maintain a permanent contact with women inside Iran. The Women’s Committee is actively involved with many women’s rights organizations and NGO’s and the Iranian diaspora. The committee is a major source of much of the information received from inside Iran with regards to women. Attending UN Human Rights Council meetings and other international or regional conferences on women’s issues, and engaging in a relentless battle against the Iranian regime’s misogyny are part of the activities of members and associates of the committee.

All Episodes

NCRI Women's Committee

Iran’s Nursing Crisis: Low Wages, Heavy Workloads, and Mass Migration

April 11, 2025 • NCRI Women's Committee • Season 4 • Episode 8

Iran’s Nursing Crisis - The ongoing crisis in Iran’s healthcare system is pushing nurses to the brink. Low wages, excessive workloads, and poor working conditions have led to a mass exodus of healthcare professionals seeking better opportunities abroad.

A Growing Shortage of Nurses

The Iranian regime has kept nurses’ salaries below the poverty line while increasing their workload by reducing the number of hospital staff. As a result, many nurses are leaving their jobs, switching professions, or migrating to other countries.

According to official data from the Ministry of Health, approximately 1,800 nurses leave their jobs in Iran each year. A report in the state-run newspaper Vatan-e Emrooz (February 19, 2025) acknowledges the worsening situation, stating:

Iran is training and exporting free nurses to the world!
There are currently 250,000 nurses serving a population of 85 million. Meanwhile, 3,000 nurses apply for migration each year.
For every 12,000 new nursing graduates annually, over 3,000 seek employment abroad.

Support the show