Iranian patients bearing brunt of illegal US sanction against Iran

Due to the unilateral sanctions imposed against Iran by the United States and its allies, certain medicines are no longer imported into the country and this has endangered the lives of many patients especially those suffering from rare diseases.

“My son has had the disease called cystinosis since he was four months old. This is a genetically inherited disease. He goes to kidney dialysis three times a week. Now his kidneys are failing and need a transplant. His kidney failure has caused his bones to start growing crooked,” an Iranian citizen told Press TV.

Another negative impact of the US unilateral sanctions against Iran is that the medicines imported into the country are extremely expensive.

“Both my sons have MPS (mucopolysaccharidosis) type II. We learned of their disease about three years ago. My sons must each take two shots [of medicine] every week for the rest of their lives. In 2010, the price was USD5,800 per shot. I just cannot afford it,” an Iranian citizen said.

Meanwhile, the 4th International Congress on Rare Diseases has been held in the Iranian capital city, Tehran.

“The foremost goal of rare diseases congress is to assist the patients. People with rare diseases are considered to be in critical need. Our aim is to make sure we are up to date about all types of rare diseases and scientific updates,” Ali Davoudian, the Director of the Iranian Congress on Rare Diseases told Press TV.

Although the US-engineered sanctions do not directly target medicines, importing these items from abroad has become almost impossible because as a result of the sanctions, the banking system is not able to transfer necessary currency.

“The sanctions that have been forced upon us have hurt many people in need of medicine. Some have even lost their lives,” Davoudian pointed out.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Over the false allegation, Washington and the European Union have imposed several rounds of illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iran refutes the allegation and argues that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

TNP/SS/SL