The former head of Tehran University of Medical Sciences has sounded the alarm on the increasing inclination of medical students to seek opportunities abroad.

Ali Jafarian emphasized the shifting dynamics in the medical profession, revealing a decline in demand for residency positions within the country, leading to a growing dependence on foreign physicians.

Highlighting the stark contrast from five decades ago when doctors from India and Bangladesh sought employment in Iran, Jafarian noted that the current trend sees them heading to the UK. The change is reflective of the fact that physicians no longer find Iran as attractive as it once was.

Inflation has been hovering above 40 percent for more than three years and monthly minimum wages have declined to around $200.

“It means we are steering the country towards a future where even finding an anesthesiologist for an appendix operation in a rural area becomes challenging," he added.

The exodus extends beyond physicians to include a surge in healthcare professionals such as dentists, midwives, and nurses. Sharply declining incomes, professional limitations, and lack of social and political freedoms are identified as major catalysts for the trend. According to Iran's Nurses’ Organization there is an estimate of an annual emigration of 2,500 to 3,000 nurses.

In May 2023, MP Hossein Ali Shahriari disclosed that around 10,000 healthcare practitioners had departed Iran for opportunities in the Arab world over the previous two years.