Iranian health minister condemns west's medical sanctions

Iranian Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi lashed out at the West for its illegal and inhuman medical sanctions against the country, but meantime said Iran has the financial and technological ability to provide the best possible medications and medical equipment for its people. “The western (governments) claimed that they have not slapped medical equipment and drugs embargo (on Iran), but they were lying and they are still lying in this regard,” Qazizadeh Hashemi said on Friday in reaction to allegations made by western governments that Iran could not purchase drugs due to financial restrictions and that no sanctions have been imposed on selling medical items to Iran. Iran has taken wide strides in science and technology, particularly in medical and medicinal fields, in recent years. Earlier this year, Iranian Deputy Health Minister for Research and Technology Mostafa Qaneyee announced that Iran will start mass-production of 10 new home-made biomedicines in the next few years. “These 10 drugs include medicines to treat cancer, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, MS, Crohn's disease, gout, hemophilia and diabetic ulcers and have applications in healing wounds and burns and blood production,” Qaneyee said. “A number of the mentioned medicines have applications as multipurpose drugs for treating diseases like cancer, as well as (diseases caused during) chemotherapy stages and hepatitis C,” he added. “The industrial and semi-industrial stages of producing the mentioned drugs will be gradually completed between the next 2 to 3 years,” Qanayee underlined.