Scarcity of medicines and increased alcohol consumption: Crises afflict mullah regime

Nora Bandari

The Iranian people are still suffering under the rule of the Iranian regime led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a result of the failure of its policies to meet the basic needs of its citizens. Over the years, no Iranian government has been able to solve the drug shortage crisis in the country, in addition to its refusal to set strict policies that limit the trade in medicines on the black market and raising their costs in a way that the Iranian citizens, who suffer from severe economic and living crises, cannot afford as a result of the US sanctions imposed on the country. This comes in addition to the increasing consumption of alcohol in Iran.

Scarcity of medicines

This comes in the context of the announcement on June 30 by a member of the Health Committee of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Ali Mohseni Bandpei, that the number of scarce medicines in the country has reached more than 200 in hospitals and pharmacies, warning that if these medicines are not provided, a political, social, health and economic crisis may occur. He added that three factors are behind the drug shortage in the country, namely “monopoly, smuggling and pricing,” which led to the existence of what he called the “drug mafia in Iran,” because medicines that are not available in pharmacies are available on the black market, but at a high price. This prompted some pharmaceutical companies to leave Iran and migrate to other countries due to the absence of control in the country.

At a time when Tehran is suffering from a shortage of medicines, it is also witnessing an increase in the consumption of alcohol, which was revealed by Irania parliament Health Committee member Humayun Najafabadi in a press statement on June 28, saying, “Alcohol consumption in Iran is more than it is in countries that do not prevent its consumption,” which prompted him to demand conditions for illegal alcohol consumption in the country.

The foregoing reveals that the Iranian regime does not care about what happens to its citizens, and that it has failed over the past years to solve the shortage of medicines and even left the people prey to black market traders, as well as that all the talk by mullah officials about the government’s respect for citizens and its continuous work to meet their needs is just mere slogans, because the mullah regime is only interested in how to implement its plan to “export the revolution” and provide the necessary support for its militias deployed in the countries of the region.

Failed policy

Regarding this, Dr. Masoud Ibrahim Hassan, a researcher specializing in Iranian affairs, said that the crisis of drug shortages causing the suffering of Iranians has existed for years as a result of US sanctions, which prompted some Iranian merchants in the black market to exploit the situation by monopolizing medicines and selling them at high prices, while the absence of oversight and the absence of clear policies to confront the crisis was a major reason for its exacerbation.

Hassan pointed out in an exclusive statement to the Reference that the lack of medicine was among the main reasons for the many protests against the mullah regime, and therefore the continuation of this crisis will be an indication of the continuation of protests in the Iranian street, especially since health insurance does not cover the cost of medicine, which the Iranian citizen must bear, and therefore causing the anger of the Iranian people at the policies of the regime.

Loss of consciousness

Hassan added that Iran consumes more alcohol than Russia and the United States, despite a law that prohibits drinking alcohol and criminalizes it with a penalty of death, although this is not implemented, as it is a deliberate attempt by the Iranian regime to distract from the deteriorating failure that exists in the Iranian political arena. This resulted in an increase in the death rate due to the high consumption of adulterated alcohol, which may lead to a coup by the Iranian people against the Iranian government in the coming period.