October 14, 2022
In an effort to discourage the exodus of medical personnel from the country, the Health Ministry has now increased to 1.5 billion rials ($5,000) the bond that all medical, dental and pharmacy students must post to get a one-year exit visa.
In April, the Medical Council said about 4,000 doctors had applied to leave the country in the previous 12 months. It said the annual average had only been 600 between 2012 and 2015.
Dr. Mohammad Raisizadeh, head of the Medical Council, warned in a recent speech that government policies are fomenting disillusionment among young physicians and could lead to mass emigration.
“We will have to dispatch patients abroad or hire foreign doctors as we did [before the 1979 revolution] if this trend continues,” Raisizadeh said.
He added that interest in heart surgery has dropped and only two pediatric surgeons graduated this year in the entire country.
Mohammad-Ali Mohseni-Bandpey, a Majlis deputy on the Heath Committee, cited government policies that do not allow doctors to raise fees despite inflation as an especially discouraging issue for doctors, encouraging many to leave.
