Salim Khani, the director general of forensic medicine in Kermanshah province, announced an increase in the number of deaths caused by the consumption of “rice pills” based on statistics from the past nine months.
According to Salim Khani, at least 49 individuals lost their lives by using these pills in the past nine months, indicating an increasing trend compared to the same period last year when the number was 46. He told the regime’s Mehr news agency that this year, 14 women and 35 men have lost their lives “so far” due to the consumption of these pills.
According to the director general of forensic medicine in Kermanshah province, “aluminum phosphide” is a group of pest control agents used to eliminate pests in warehouses and homes due to its high effectiveness and low cost. However, due to an increase in its usage, it has led to an increase in incidents resulting in long, painful, and avoidable poisoning and death.
The director general of forensic medicine in Mazandaran province also reported 113 deaths due to poisoning with “rice pills” in the past eight months. It has been stated that individuals between the ages of 21 and 30 have the highest number of cases (23), while those under 16 years old have the lowest number of fatalities (four) due to poisoning with “rice pills.”
Recent economic problems and the threat to household livelihoods have had various social consequences in recent years, including an increase in suicide rates, an increase in crime rates, an increase in dropout rates, and even a concerning trend of organ trafficking.
Recorded statistics in the Ministry of Health system indicate that around 120,000 individuals committed suicide last year.
On December 31, 2023, the state-run Jahan Sanat newspaper reported 6,000 suicide cases resulting in death. The report focused on the prevalence of suicide in the country and wrote, “There is a meaningful relationship between the lack of job security and the suicide rate.”
Many experts attribute a significant portion of these social problems to the governance methods and inefficiency of the Iranian regime in providing welfare and guaranteeing basic rights, which have been deeply rooted in Iran over the past four decades.
