In Iran, shortages of medicine are causing a severe strain on the healthcare system. At one hospital in the capital, patients in the intensive care unit are fighting for survival - many suffering from drug poisoning, cardiac complications, and cancer.

Tehran

Iran's healthcare system is under significant pressure as shortages of more than 100 essential drugs, including antibiotics and cancer treatments, leave patients and hospitals struggling. Pharmacies are unable to meet demand, with long queues and high prices making life-saving medications inaccessible for many.

Authorities cite international sanctions as a key factor, but patients and healthcare workers also point to domestic mismanagement and lack of transparency. The crisis has led to a rise in black market activity and informal charities attempting to fill the gap, while recent policy changes have further increased medication costs for patients.

Medication shortages push Iran's healthcare system to the brink

Inside the intensive care unit at Baharlou Hospital in Tehran, patients urgently need life-saving medications. Some are battling drug poisoning, others face cardiac issues or cancer. But hope is fading. Pharmacies, once a lifeline, have become symbols of despair. Queues stretch around the block, and patients are left with few options. More than 100 essential drugs, including antibiotics and cancer treatments, are either missing or priced behind the reach for many. Patients who've used methadone or other narcotics need an antidote. For certain cases of poisoning, life-support machines could save lives, but they're extremely costly and inaccessible. Iranian authorities say 90 percent of countries' medications are produced domestically, but some question their effectiveness. The remaining 10 percent, often vital for critically ill patients, are only partially available in government-run pharmacies, and even then, they're hard to find and expensive. In Iran, the government frequently blames international sanctions for the country's health care challenges. But while sanctions play a role, many patients say mismanagement is also an issue. They say there is no clear strategy for supplying critical medications, and regulations lack transparency. As a result, the black market, flooded with counterfeit or overpriced drugs, is becoming a shadow health care system. Health care workers, pharmacists and citizens are demanding transparency and regulation. Some Iranians are taking matters into their own hands. Mehdi Sururi runs an informal charity, founded by friends and philanthropists. He purchases medications and distributes them to patients who can't afford them. But he says the task is exhausting. Either the drugs are unavailable, or their prices keep soaring. Raising money is an issue, but the medicine itself is nowhere. Prices change overnight. Even basic items such as pediatric cannulas are missing. Pharmaceuticals often use adult ones for children. When we ask, they just say, this is all we have. In January, Iran's health minister lifted price caps to help pharmaceuticals manage rising production costs. But for patients, this has only made treatments more expensive, worsening a crisis caused by economic strain, bureaucratic failure and a disrupted global supply chain.

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