Behind the front lines of every war, there are victims whose suffering is often overlooked: people whose survival depends on regular medication, doctor's visits or life-saving treatments. For them, war means more than just explosions and destruction - it also puts an abrupt end to their treatment.
Cancer, hemophiliac, diabetic patients: they all need urgent care
Fatema S. is one of these victims. The woman is suffering from cancer. “I urgently need surgery”, she tells DW. Her condition is critical, but she has not been given a date until April, and she has no way of contacting the specialist she needs.
The exact number of patients like her, who are under enormous psychological pressure, is difficult to determine. We are talking about cancer patients who need continuous chemotherapy, people with multiple sclerosis who are dependent on special medications, diabetics whose lives are at risk without insulin. This group also includes patients with thalassemia who need regular blood transfusions, as well as people with hemophilia, for whom even the smallest injuries can be life-threatening.
Since the beginning of the war, reports of closed private clinics and medical centers in Iran have been increasing. Some doctors have fled cities affected by the ongoing attacks.
The dire consequences of the communications blackout
Hospitals are understaffed, planned surgeries are being postponed, and vital procedures such as vaccinations and the treatment of chronic diseases are being interrupted, two doctors and human rights activists, Dr. Hassan Naib Hashim and Dr. Hamid Hematpour, told DW. They are of Iranian origin and live in Austria, but maintain ties with medical staff in their homeland. Doctors warn of an escalation of the crisis, which could lead to a complete collapse of the health system: “Currently, some specialists in Tehran have to serve 200 to 300 patients, which is many times more than the usual capacity“, says radiologist Hematpour.
He talks about power outages after bombings that paralyze hospitals, but also about communication breakdowns that further complicate the work of doctors. “When internet and phone connections are unstable, medical coordination becomes almost impossible.“
After the outbreak of the war, the authorities in Iran turned off the internet again. Many doctors who temporarily left for the north of the country for security reasons do not even have information about their colleagues. Telemedicine consultations have been almost completely stopped. In these circumstances, many chronically ill people no longer have access to medical care or to urgently needed medications.
Fear of further problems and lack of medications
Patients who need to take medications long-term are particularly worried. Some medications must be stored at a certain temperature, and power outages make this impossible. At the same time, obtaining medicines is becoming increasingly difficult due to import problems.
Despite the constant assurances of the Iranian Ministry of Health that it has sufficient “strategic stocks”, the reality is quite different: these stocks either do not exist at all or cannot be distributed.
This poses a threat to the lives of people with hemophilia or rare genetic diseases, Dr. Hematpour points out. Many of the medicines for them cannot be freely obtained anyway. And if the problems with their provision continue for weeks, these patients are at risk of irreversible damage to their health. In addition, the doctor warns that the sharply increasing number of war victims can quickly overload the health system. In some regions, even the most basic medicines and antibiotics have already been lacking.
The right to life is affected
“During war, the most important right is affected first - the right to life. Once it is in danger, other violations almost inevitably follow - for example, the right to medical care“, explains Dr. Hassan Naib Hashem. “Experience from previous conflicts shows that the number of wounded is three to six times higher than the number of victims, and many are disabled for life“, he says. According to the World Health Organization, at least 1,255 people have died and over 15,000 have been injured since the start of the war in Iran. Doctors have been killed, and many health facilities have been damaged or completely destroyed.
Authors: Elina Farhadi