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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Iran
Index
According to the Iranian Medical Association (IMA), in 1986
there were 12,300 physicians and 1,700 dentists in Iran. Medical
support personnel of all kinds were in short supply, with the total
number of nurses estimated at around 7,000. There were about 550
hospitals throughout the country, with a total of 62,100 beds.
The regional distribution of medical personnel was uneven. The
ratio of patients to physicians in 1986 averaged more than 1,000 to
1 for Tehran, Mashhad, Esfahan, and Shiraz; more than 2,000 to 1 in
all other large cities (with more than 100,000 in population); and
more than 4,500 to 1 elsewhere. An estimated 70 percent of all
specialists practiced in Tehran.
Even before the Revolution there was a high rate of emigration
of physicians, most of whom settled in the United States. In March
1976 when there were 12,196 physicians practicing in Iran, there
were an estimated 10,000 other Iranian physicians practicing
abroad. During the revolution there was a major exodus of
physicians; the IMA has estimated that about 7,000--40 percent of
the total--have left the country since the Revolution, contributing
to a severe shortage.
The Islamic Republic has sought to increase the number of all
medical personnel and to expand medical facilities. Health clinics
and dispensaries have been constructed in lower income
neighborhoods of the large cities, in small towns, and in villages.
The medical schools at Tehran and Shiraz universities have
developed programs for training paramedical personnel, and more
students have been admitted to medical schools. Nevertheless, the
facilities for training physicians remained inadequate, and fewer
than 750 doctors were graduated from medical schools between 1980
and 1986. The IMA has said that Iran needs a total of at least
50,000 physicians to provide the whole population with minimally
adequate health care.
Data as of December 1987
A worker sprays to rid area of mosquitoes during a malaria-eradication campaign
Courtesy World Health Organization
Medical Personnel and Facilities
According to the Iranian Medical Association (IMA), in 1986
there were 12,300 physicians and 1,700 dentists in Iran. Medical
support personnel of all kinds were in short supply, with the total
number of nurses estimated at around 7,000. There were about 550
hospitals throughout the country, with a total of 62,100 beds.
The regional distribution of medical personnel was uneven. The
ratio of patients to physicians in 1986 averaged more than 1,000 to
1 for Tehran, Mashhad, Esfahan, and Shiraz; more than 2,000 to 1 in
all other large cities (with more than 100,000 in population); and
more than 4,500 to 1 elsewhere. An estimated 70 percent of all
specialists practiced in Tehran.
Even before the Revolution there was a high rate of emigration
of physicians, most of whom settled in the United States. In March
1976 when there were 12,196 physicians practicing in Iran, there
were an estimated 10,000 other Iranian physicians practicing
abroad. During the revolution there was a major exodus of
physicians; the IMA has estimated that about 7,000--40 percent of
the total--have left the country since the Revolution, contributing
to a severe shortage.
The Islamic Republic has sought to increase the number of all
medical personnel and to expand medical facilities. Health clinics
and dispensaries have been constructed in lower income
neighborhoods of the large cities, in small towns, and in villages.
The medical schools at Tehran and Shiraz universities have
developed programs for training paramedical personnel, and more
students have been admitted to medical schools. Nevertheless, the
facilities for training physicians remained inadequate, and fewer
than 750 doctors were graduated from medical schools between 1980
and 1986. The IMA has said that Iran needs a total of at least
50,000 physicians to provide the whole population with minimally
adequate health care.
Data as of December 1987
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