By Jubin Katiraie
Even though the deaths of at least 3000 people, including several young healthcare professionals who were denied essential medical equipment, from the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak in Iran
shows that the mullahs are unable to cope, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has still offered help in dealing with the virus to Iraq.
On Sunday, Ali Shamkhani, a member of the SNSC, told Iraqi National Security Advisor Faleh Fayyaz that the Iranian government was prepared to help Iraq fight the disease. This led many to question why and how this help can be offered when the Iranian people, including doctors and nurses, are unable to obtain basic medical and hygienic equipment to prevent the spread of infection.
One Parliament deputy from Rasht tweeted: “Mr. Shamkhani, you are the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran. You should help Iran! The situation of the Corona outbreak in Gilan Province is beyond red. There are no more beds for hospitalizing the patients. We don’t have fresh medical staff, special masks, protective garbs, and medicine.”
Mehrdad Lahouti, another parliament deputy, said that many have died in Gilan Province because the hospitals were too full for them to be admitted. He also advised that doctors and medical staff were more in danger than anyone else, especially if they are denied “essential items such as the special gown, masks, and gloves”.
While, Mohammad Mirzabeigi, the general director of the Nursing Organization, told the state-run IRNA news agency on March 9, that shortages in protective equipment are a cause of concern.
Mirzabeigi said: “Shortages of protective equipment to fight the Coronavirus, including masks, gloves, gowns and protective shields, continue to persist in some medical centers. Nurses and the medical staff in these centers have lots of difficulties in providing care and treatment for patients.”
The coronavirus has spread rapidly across Iran, but the government is refusing to give the true number of deaths, so the Iranian Resistance has been totaling them up from reports on the ground from 139 cities in all of Iran’s 31 provinces.
The death toll in the following provinces is now, at the very least:
- Gilan, 500
- Qom, 500
- Markazi (Central), 80
- Isfahan, 350
- Khorasan Razavi, 266
- Golestan, 254
- Mazandaran, 182
- Fars, 86
- Khuzestan, 84
- Kurdistan, 81
- Sistan and Baluchestan, 34
- Zanjan, 32
Parliament Deputy Tayebeh Siavoshi said, “[President Hassan] Rouhani has not yet accepted that the situation is very critical … Action should have been taken in February, but they were cynical (about the virus outbreak) and said that talking about Coronavirus was intended to disrupt the election!”
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