Pezeshkian praises emergency medics, vows broader healthcare access
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday hailed emergency workers as the “frontline” of the nation’s health system and promised to expand access for low-income and elderly citizens, as the country marked 50 years of pre-hospital emergency care.
Speaking at a ceremony in Tehran, Pezeshkian praised the “round-the-clock” efforts of medics and said their service without regard to race, belief or status embodied a deeply human approach, president.ir reported.
“When you rush to the side of a patient, you do not ask who they are,” he said. “You simply try to ease their pain.”
He called on institutions to adopt the same outlook, arguing that such an approach could ease divisions and strengthen national unity. Emergency personnel, he added, showed what it meant to put “the best service in the shortest time” before citizens.
Pezeshkian stressed that the government’s “justice-based” health policy placed the most vulnerable at the top of the agenda.
He warned that poverty, aging and lack of knowledge left many unable to protect themselves and required targeted programs. “We are obliged to give priority to those who face the greatest risks,” he said.
The president also turned to the wider health network, urging hospitals to improve productivity and reduce costs for patients.
Later in the day, he inaugurated a new 550-bed wing of Fayaz Bakhsh Hospital in southern Tehran, operated by the state-run Social Security Organization. Built over 12 years, the facility has 21 operating rooms and one of the largest emergency departments in the country.
“These hospitals are built with public insurance contributions,” Pezeshkian said. “They must deliver the highest efficiency.” He pointed to unused space that could house outpatient clinics and suggested installing solar panels to cut energy bills.
The president also urged managers to address chronic congestion in crowded neighborhoods where major hospitals are located. He recommended working with private investors to build parking structures to ease traffic and improve access for patients.
At both events, Pezeshkian returned to the theme of equity. He said citizens in every province should be able to count on timely, quality treatment regardless of geography or income. Raising efficiency in public hospitals, he argued, would help contain costs and ensure that pensioners and the poor received proper care.