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Medical Services for Iranian Protesters

Sam Wertheimer | Saturday 27th June 2009

Protesters in Iran have risked life and limb to express their dissatisfaction with the outcome of the recent presidential election. While estimates of the death toll and injury count vary, the glut of pictures and videos featuring battered and bloodied Iranians attest to a startling level of violence. These visuals inspired me to survey the health care services available to injured protesters.

Some injured protesters have turned to Iran's hospitals. For example, Neda Soltan was rushed to the Shariati Hospital in Tehran. Unfortunately, she died before reaching care providers. (The YouTube video of her death is now one of the iconic visuals of the conflict). Although many of these hospitals are operated by the publicly funded Ministry of Health and Medical Education (Wikipedia), I found no reports indicating that government officials have tampered with care services offered to dissenters.

It also appears foreign embassies are filling the need for health care services. The Italian embassy in Tehran announced humanitarian aid to injured protesters, and other embassies have offered similar, albeit quieter support of protesters. A map of embassies that serve injured protesters has been circulating on Twitter.

As protests continue despite government crackdowns, and clerics suggest executing dissenters, observers must hope that hospitals, embassies, and other health care providers continue to serve protesting Iranians.

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