Iran’s Nurses Revolt! Low, Delayed Salaries Blamed for Healthcare Crisis

TEHRAN, Oct 3: Iran’s Council for Coordinating Nurses’ Protests has blamed health authorities for a growing wave of nurses’ resignations, accusing officials of creating working conditions marked by financial hardship, workplace pressure, discrimination and unequal treatment. In a statement reported Friday, the council described those managing the healthcare system as a “mafia” and said they bore direct responsibility for the consequences of the crisis. The council said nurses were increasingly losing hope that authorities would address their concerns, prompting some to leave their jobs or the profession altogether.

The claims come amid broader reports of severe staffing pressures in Iran’s healthcare system. IranWire reported last week that nurses have cited low salaries, mandatory overtime, delayed payments and heavy workloads as reasons for resignations, while the Iranian Nursing Organization has warned that retaining existing staff has become a major challenge. The head of Iran’s Nursing Organization said in August that around 5,000 working nurses leave the healthcare system each year. A recent academic study of Tehran University of Medical Sciences hospitals also found that 590 nurses, or 12.3% of the nursing workforce studied, left their jobs between 2021 and 2024, citing factors including workload, low salaries, staff shortages, management weaknesses, discrimination and economic pressures.