TEHRAN — The Iranian health minister has called on health policy makers to fully stand up to those who violate health-related human rights by imposing brutal sanctions on countries.

Saeed Namaki made the remarks during the opening ceremony of 7th World Health Summit Regional Meeting in the Persian Gulf island of Kish on Monday, ISNA news agency reported.

No one should be deprived of their healthcare rights due to sanctions, no healthcare center in Yemen, Libya, or Republic of the Congo should be raided and no healthcare provider should be murdered like Dr Richard Mouzoko.

Dr Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, an epidemiologist deployed by WHO in the response to the Ebola outbreak in DRC, was killed in an attack on Butembo University Hospital on Friday, 19 April 2019.

Minister Namaki went on to explain that the importance of the Summit is being held at the time of unfair sanctions imposed by the U.S on Iran.

While the U.S is striving to close all doors to Iran, thankfully scientists and academics who are fond of development of world health system travelled to Iran from around the world, he highlighted.

He went on to say that politics can directly affect health systems worldwide, as regional conflicts have created instability in countries like Libya and Yemen, or when countries like Sri Lanka and New Zealand are subjected to violate terrorist attacks, and while one-sided, brutal sanctions have restricted countries access to vaccines, treatment services and medications.

Elsewhere in his remarks, commenting on Iran’s rank in medical research worldwide and in the region the minister explained that using the potential of science and technology parks as well as incubator centers have resulted in increased number of medical researches and clinical trials.

There are more than 1,200 knowledge-based companies active in health sector in Iran’s market as well as he regional market, he said, adding that some 96 percent of the medications are being domestically produced.

He further noted that Iran has made great advancement in fields such as stem cell technology, bone marrow transplant, nanotechnology, and infertility treatments worldwide.

For one according to World Atlas Iran ranks the second [after the U.S.] in the list of countries where stem cell research is popular. Royan Institute located in the Iranian city of Tehran is the leading center in Stem Cell research in the country. Iran has so far had 119 clinical trials of stem cell research.

The 7th World Health Summit Regional Meeting, underway in Kish Island, is hosted by Tehran University of Medical Sciences this year.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), the event brings global health experts from different sectors to Iran’s Kish Island, where they work together to strengthen cooperation and improve health worldwide.

Health in uncertain situations, global health in a transitional world, sustainable health development, noncommunicable diseases (NCDS) and mental health, planetary health and medical education are among the main topics of the event.

By choosing the World Health Summit as its central platform, the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies has provided the summit with an excellent academic foundation. The alliance is an international collaboration between leading academic institutions aimed at using academic excellence to improve global health. The M8 Alliance acts as an academic think-tank for the World Health Summit.

MQ/MG