October 08, 2021
Several scientific associations in Iran have protested Majlis plans to establish an “Islamic medicine” organization, calling it a threat to the public health system.
The scientific associations, in a letter to Majlis Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf and the new health minister, have said that giving official status to the practitioners of Islamic medicine will endanger people’s lives.
The Majlis, dominated by hardliners, wishes to elevate the status of those practicing traditional medicine, often called Islamic medicine. Health officials, senior medical doctors and experts have criticized the move, calling it a dangerous step that would lead to unscientific interference in public and individual health.
So-called Islamic medicine became very controversial in 2020, when some of those claiming to be “Islamic doctors” opposed medical recommendations to deal with Covid-19 and began prescribing herbal medicines to patients, some of whom died without standard medical care. One such Islamic medicine advocate prescribed camel urine as medication for Covid patients.
The bill presented in the Majlis would give legal independence to Islamic doctors who would operate without any accountability to the scientific medical system in the country or to the Ministry of Health. The new Islamic medicine organization would be empowered to issue licenses to clerics and others to accept patients and prescribe medicine.