In late August 2024, amid escalating protests by nurses and healthcare workers across Iran, the Iranian regime’s security forces arrested Zahra Tamaddon, the head nurse at Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran. Zahra Tamaddon’s arrest is part of a broader crackdown on healthcare professionals who have been actively participating in protests demanding better working conditions and wages.
On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, Zahra Tamaddon, the head nurse at Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran, was arrested by intelligence agents. Although the identities of the arresting officers and the location where she is being held remain unknown, it is believed that her arrest was prompted by her participation in protests and her encouragement of hospital staff to go on strike.
Tamaddon’s colleagues at Masih Daneshvari Hospital have stated that they will initiate a strike if she is not released promptly. Additionally, reports indicate that four other healthcare workers have been detained, though their identities have not yet been disclosed.
Ongoing Protests and the Healthcare Workers’ Demands
The protests and strikes by nurses and healthcare workers are spreading across at least 20 cities in Iran, including Mashhad (northeastern Iran), Tabriz (northwestern Iran), Ahvaz (southwestern Iran), Rasht (northern Iran), Kermanshah (western Iran), Isfahan (central Iran), Dehdasht (southwestern Iran), Jahrom (southern Iran), Abadan (southwestern Iran), and Marivan (western Iran). These protests are driven by deteriorating working conditions, unbearable workloads, and the systematic violation of their rights.
Nurses are subjected to compulsory overtime, grueling 12-hour shifts, and meager wages, leaving many unable to meet even their basic living expenses. The regime has also failed to implement agreed-upon service tariffs and contracts, further fueling discontent. As a result, the emigration of nurses from Iran has accelerated in recent months, with an estimated 150 to 200 nurses leaving the country each month searching for better opportunities abroad.
During the protests, nurses have been vocal in their demands, chanting slogans such as “A nurse will die, but will not accept humiliation,” “Only in the streets will our rights be won,” “Expenses in dollars, our wages in rials,” “Our power is in our unity, the result of our hard work,” “Nurses, shout and demand your rights,” “We’ve heard enough promises, our tables are empty,” and “From Shiraz to Mashhad, strike, strike.”
The arrest of Zahra Tamaddon and other healthcare workers highlights the growing unrest among Iran’s medical community, who are demanding an end to oppressive working conditions and the enforcement of their rights. The regime’s response to these peaceful protests has been heavy-handed, as seen in the arrests of healthcare workers. The situation remains tense as healthcare professionals across Iran continue their struggle for justice, fair treatment, and the basic right to a livable wage.
