The Iranian Health Minister has called on the Central Bank to provide the necessary foreign currency to import urgently needed medical drugs and equipment into the country.

Marzieh Dastjerdi said there are no restrictions on the import of these items, and if the Central Bank provides the adequate amount of foreign currency, they can be obtained.

In recent months, various officials in Iran’s health sector have warned about the shortage of medication, specifically in the case of special diseases such as cancer, hemophilia and Thalassemia.

Dastjerdi stressed that the Health Ministry is not getting the foreign currencies it is supposed to receive.

She emphasized that $2.5 billion dollars needs to be provided for private and public companies by the end of this year (the Iranian year ends in March) or the problem will spiral out of control.

Source: Radio Zamaneh