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Iran provides free healthcare to children under 7 despite sanctions

Sunday, 19 May 2024 9:31 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 19 May 2024 9:31 AM ]

A nurse treats a child at a hospital in Iran. (File photo)

Iran has been offering free medical services to children aged under seven in all state-run healthcare centers nationwide.

The measure took effect recently after it was approved by the government a few months ago.

Speaking on Sunday, spokesman for Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Pejman Aghdak said the measure is in line with the law on family and youth support and aimed at achieving justice in health for all Iranians.

It covers medical services, including outpatient, hospitalization, emergency, examination, laboratory, imaging, rehabilitation and screening, he added.

Aghdak also noted that keeping newborns healthy since the beginning of their childhood will improve their quality of life and increase their lifespan.

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Iranian Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said last week that medical treatment of children is among basic services, adding that children should not be deprived of treatment due to their families’ financial woes.

“Although Iran is facing economic problems and multiple sanctions, it has taken steps towards providing free medical services to children under the age of seven,” he asserted, emphasizing that such measure is “an investment in the country's healthcare system despite being costly.”

Einollahi further said that the child vaccination rate stands at about 99 percent in Iran.

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