International Nurses Day 2025: A Spotlight on the Crisis Facing Nurses in Iran
Every year on May 12, the world observes International Nurses Day, commemorating the birth of Florence Nightingale in 1820. Recognized as the founder of modern nursing, Nightingale’s legacy is celebrated for her pioneering work during the Crimean War, where she significantly improved sanitation and healthcare practices.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) designated this day in 1974 to honor the invaluable contributions of nurses worldwide.
However, as we pay tribute to nurses globally, it’s imperative to shed light on the escalating crisis facing nurses in Iran that not only undermines the well-being of these healthcare professionals but also jeopardizes the country’s entire healthcare system.
One Nurse for Every 25 Patients
Iran’s healthcare infrastructure is grappling with a severe shortage of nursing staff. Official statistics reveal that the country has only 1.6 nurses per 1,000 people, starkly below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended minimum of 3 per 1,000. This deficit has led to overwhelming workloads, with reports indicating that in some provinces, a single nurse is responsible for up to 25 patients.
The ramifications of such ratios are profound. Overburdened nurses are more susceptible to burnout, errors, and mental health issues, which, in turn, compromise patient care and safety.
Economic Strain and Mass Exodus
Financial hardships further exacerbate the plight of Iranian nurses. The average monthly salary for a nurse in Iran hovers around 13 million tomans (approximately $140), a figure that falls below the international poverty line. In stark contrast, nurses in neighboring countries earn significantly higher wages, prompting many Iranian nurses to seek employment abroad.
While a nurse in the U.S. may receive $4,000 for 7 hours of work, Iranian nurses earn around $120 for 10 to 12 hours of work, sometimes even extending to 20 hours a day. (The state-run Arman-e Mellin Newspaper, October 14, 2020)
Data indicates that approximately 3,000 nurses emigrate from Iran annually, turning the nation into one of the largest exporters of nursing professionals in the region. This brain drain not only depletes the country’s healthcare resources but also reflects the systemic issues driving professionals away.
Living Conditions: A Grim Reality
The dire circumstances extend beyond the workplace. Mohammad Sharifi-Moghaddam, Secretary-General of the Iranian House of Nurses, highlighted the appalling living conditions some nurses endure. Due to inadequate salaries and a lack of housing support, certain nurses who have migrated from rural areas to urban centers like Tehran are forced to work multiple shifts and sleep in their cars during rest periods. They even resort to using hospital facilities for basic needs like bathing, essentially living in makeshift conditions. (Donya-e Eghtesad Daily, February 22, 2025)
Mental Health Crisis Among Medical Professionals
The nursing crisis is part of a broader mental health emergency affecting Iran’s medical community. The tragic suicide of Narges Mohammadpour, a fourth-year obstetrics and gynecology resident in Tabriz, brought national attention to the immense pressures faced by medical interns. After performing a high-stress emergency cesarean section, Mohammadpour was held financially accountable for complications that ensued, leading her to take her own life.
This incident is not isolated. Other medical interns have also succumbed to overwhelming stress, citing grueling work hours, lack of support, and punitive measures for medical errors as contributing factors.
Conclusion
As the world celebrates International Nurses Day by honoring those who dedicate their lives to healing others, the situation in Iran stands in stark contrast. Nurses in Iran are not just overworked and underpaid—they are systematically crushed under the weight of a corrupt, authoritarian regime that values neither human dignity nor the basic tenets of public health.
The suffering of Iran’s nurses is not the result of accidental mismanagement or a lack of resources; it is the inevitable outcome of a system built on repression, exploitation, and neglect. For decades, the clerical regime has funneled national wealth into its security apparatus, propaganda machine, and foreign interventions, while leaving vital sectors like healthcare to rot. Those who speak out, including members of the medical community, risk retaliation, arrest, or worse.
There is no future for Iran’s nurses, doctors, or patients under this regime. Calls for improvement or reform fall on deaf ears because the very system is designed to silence and extract, not to support or protect. As long as this regime remains in power, Iranian nurses will continue to flee the country, die from exhaustion, or take their own lives in despair. And the Iranian people will continue to suffer from a collapsing healthcare system that no longer even pretends to serve them.
On this International Nurses Day, we must not only mourn the conditions Iranian nurses endure—we must expose the root cause. The ongoing crisis in Iran’s healthcare system is not a policy failure. It is the direct and inevitable consequence of the regime’s violent grip on power.
