Iran: Relatives of cancer patients blame US sanctions for scarcity of medications
Patients being treated from cancer in Iran struggle with obtaining necessary medications for therapy due to the US sanctions imposed on the country, according to people's relatives and a clinic's professor, as footage filmed in one of Tehran's private clinics on Saturday shows.
People could be seen receiving liquid treatment, while being assisted by medical personnel. Husband of one of such cancer patients, Arman Nahid, commented on the situation as well as the claims made by Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iran, about accessibility of medicine for Iranian people.
"Mr Hook says that we give the access to the medications to Iran's government", but when the money transfer system is blocked, how these medications could be bought [here]? For example, my wife is sick and we needed to use a port and I searched in so many places for this port and out of about 30 places there was only one location that provided it," said Nahid.
Hasan Abolghasemi, Professor of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, agreed, saying that Hook's words were not true. "The reality is that all financial corridors of Iran are blocked and we are not able to import any cancer medications from the original providers and brands which are mostly in Europe since we cannot provide the foreign currency," stressed the professor.
He also mentioned the growing rate of a pediatric cancer "that could be easily cured and completely treated previously, is a big deal now because we do not have the access to the original medicines."
In the end of July, the Twitter account of the US Department of State published a video with Brian Hook "debunking myths regarding US sanctions."
In the video Hook called the reports that the US sanctioned medical supplies for Iranian people a "myth" adding that the US "exempts medicine and medical devices for the Iranian people from the US sanctions". Hook added that medications could be bought from the US companies and delivered to Iran and that the Iranian government was the one to blame for blocking the access to them.
Despite Hook's claims it's reported that the US-made medications are still hard to obtain reportedly due to banking sanctions that hamper money transactions which causes some Western companies to refuse to sell the necessary drugs and medical equipment to Iran.
(Source: Ruptly)
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