TEHRAN – International organizations should help independent countries to remove illegal sanctions imposed on Iran’s pharmaceutical sector, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi has said.

He made the remarks in a meeting with representatives of international organizations residing in Iran, which was held at the Ministry of Health on Thursday.

Iran has been known for its elites since ancient times, and sanctions should not be an obstacle for Iranian scientists and young people to communicate with the world, because the world is moving towards removing the borders of knowledge, he stated.

Einollahi said in July that despite the sanctions, Iran has the strongest health system in the region.

Einollahi went on to note that throughout history, there is no record of embargoing patients, which was done to Iranian patients; It is a cowardly act that has not been customary in any culture, religion, or ritual, and we expect international organizations to show their moral mission because health should not be subject to sanctions.

Some foreign companies refuse to sell medicine and medical equipment to Iran under the influence of sanctions, which is immoral and inhumane behavior, he lamented.

He further announced readiness to share its capabilities in the field of health with the countries of the region.

Iran has become self-sufficient in the production of the COVID vaccine and in addition to meeting domestic needs, it has started exporting to other countries and is ready to provide vaccines needed by different countries with the cooperation of international organizations, he highlighted.

Einollahi said in July that despite the sanctions that have existed since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution until today to prevent the country from progressing, Iran has the strongest health system in the region.

Despite the cowardly sanctions, especially in the field of medical equipment and medicine, our country was one of the successful nations in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, and now that other countries are experiencing high rates of daily coronavirus mortality, including the United States, Iran’s daily covid deaths declined to single-digit numbers or zero.

Iran’s health sector and development

Based on innovative indicators of health technology development in 2021, Iran was ranked 60th among 132 countries, which shows an improvement of 60 steps compared to 2014, the deputy health minister for research and technology, has announced.

A total of 1,670 knowledge-based firms are operating in the health sector, ISNA quoted Younes Panahi as saying.

He added that there are 13 science and technology parks and 95 technology growth centers in the field of health, while 343 technological products have so far been licensed, and 335 inventions in medical sciences have been patented.

The health technology development is evaluated by the Global Innovation Index with seven indicators, including institutional structure, human capital and research, infrastructure, market and business complexity, technological knowledge, and creativity, he explained.

In June 2021, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, said the Islamic Republic of Iran is a role model for primary health care.

For the past four decades, its PHC network has aimed to ensure that people have timely access to affordable, accessible, and acceptable essential health services, he explained.

“At the outset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Islamic Republic of Iran made its primary health care system a core part of its national response. This PHC infrastructure allowed systematic outreach activities for early case detection, contact tracing, and triage for hospital referral (if necessary) by community health workers.

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