The state-run Didbaniran website reported on Thursday, January 30, that following “several recorded cases of suicide among medical students,” a special committee has been formed at the request of the Deputy Minister of Education at the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education to investigate the causes of these suicides.
The website did not specify when these “several cases of suicide” occurred but stated that with the formation of this committee, the presidents of medical universities and their academic deputies are required to take necessary, continuous, and close measures to prevent suicides among students and medical residents.
According to Didbaniran, experts in this field have considered the implementation of this directive “an effective step in reducing psychological pressure and improving the educational and academic conditions of medical students and residents.”
This comes as similar committees or task forces have been formed in the past for other issues, but they have not been particularly effective.
The suicides of medical residents have repeatedly made headlines in recent years, but Iranian media have often covered them superficially with phrases like “sudden death” or “self-imposed end of life.” However, the few reports that have been published indicate a critical situation in this sector, one severe enough to compel the Ministry of Health to establish a “special committee.”
In July 2024, the state-run website Khabar Online described the suicide rate among medical residents as “in a critical state” and wrote: “The rise in these suicides, alongside officials’ neglect of medical residents’ conditions, low wages despite heavy responsibilities, and work pressure beyond their capacity, has set off alarm bells in this field.”
In February 2024, the regime’s Deputy Minister of Education at the Ministry of Health had announced the establishment of the “Assistantship Charter Monitoring Committee” and claimed that the ministry had drafted guidelines specifying work hours, the number of shifts, and how long residents must stay at the hospital after their shifts.
Based on this, it seems that previous measures in this field have not been effective, and concerns persist. These concerns are highlighted by the remarks of Nima Shahriarpoor, an emergency medicine specialist at Baharloo Hospital in Tehran, in an interview with Khabar Online.
He stated: “The suicide crisis among medical residents is more serious and widespread than the general public might assume. This is not just speculation or estimation; it is based on a comprehensive study conducted by the Tehran University Medical Association, which found that in a group of 204 medical residents, more than 93 percent—188 individuals—suffered from ‘occupational burnout’ and harbored suicidal thoughts.”
The specialist further added that a task force from the Psychiatry Association, under the Iranian Medical Council, examined the mental health of 253 psychiatric residents and concluded that the psychological pressure on this group is far more severe than generally perceived.
According to Shahriarpoor, studies indicate that the suicide rate among medical professionals has increased by 3.1 to 5 times. Among the approximately 14,000 medical residents in Iran, an average of 13 suicides resulting in death occur annually.
Findings show that the suicide rate among male doctors has risen by 40 percent, while among female doctors, it has surged by 130 percent compared to the general population—an alarming and significant figure.
Previously, the spokesperson for the Iranian regime Medical Council acknowledged the rising suicide rates among medical professionals, attributing one of the causes to the “extremely high workload and the disproportionate salaries compared to the work performed.” He described these suicides as “multifaceted and multidimensional.”
In January 2024, the Iranian Psychiatric Association also expressed concern over the high suicide rate among medical residents, warning that the continuation of this trend could lead to the “collapse of the healthcare system.”
