3,600 Nurses Ready for Deployment to War-Affected Areas in Ramadan War

Health Minister, outlining the health system's experiences during the war, announced that some 3,600 volunteer nurses are ready to serve in affected areas and to staff supporting medical centers.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, quoted by Webda, Mohammad Reza Zafarkhandi, on Thursday, October 23, during the commemoration ceremony of Nurse's Day, honored the memory of martyrs in the field of health, especially nursing martyrs, and said: The experience of the war has shown that the country's health community, especially nurses, continue to serve the people and patients even in the most difficult situations with commitment, responsibility and spirit of sacrifice.

Referring to the necessity of organizing medical capacities in critical situations, he added: In war, in addition to providing human resources and continuity of hospital services, it is necessary to plan for quick support of damaged medical centers, reduce the concerns of employees and provide suitable conditions for the continuous presence of medical forces.

Stating that the experience of the 12-day war and the Ramadan war revealed the necessity of creating flexible mechanisms for crisis management in the field of health, the Minister of Health said: the formation of quick response nursing teams, the organization of volunteer forces and the possibility of mutual support between different regions of the country were among the measures that were followed to respond to medical needs in war conditions.

Referring to the formation of quick response teams in the field of health, Zafar Qandi stated: Considering the difference between the conditions of the recent wars and the eight-year holy defense era, it was necessary to design a mechanism to organize volunteer forces and quickly support the affected medical centers; Because in this situation, it was not known in advance which area or medical center would be attacked.

He added: In the field of nursing, about 3,600 people announced their readiness to be sent to the affected areas and provide the required medical services if needed. This action was formed with the participation of colleagues in the field of nursing and the management of the officials of this department, including Dr. Ebadi.

Referring to the difficulty of predicting the location of attacks and bombings, the Minister of Health continued: During the holy defense, troops were sent to the front in an organized and ready manner, but in recent wars, it was not clear which city or medical center would be targeted. It is possible that Andimeshk, Dezful, Abadan, Mahabad or other medical centers were attacked; Therefore, it was necessary to create a flexible mechanism for mutual support between different regions.

Support for Andimeshk Hospital in less than two hours after the bombing

Referring to the organization of certain medical centers to support each other, Zafar Qandi said: Based on this mechanism, each region could use the capacity of other regions in the event of an accident, and the support groups would intervene in the shortest possible time.

Referring to the incident of bombing of Andimshek hospital, he said: In this incident, after contacting colleagues in Dezful and Ahvaz as support centers, in less than two hours, Dezful took responsibility for supporting and doing related matters.

The Minister of Health noted: The formation of quick response teams and the presence of volunteers who were ready to move and be sent to needy areas made it possible to strengthen medical services in critical conditions and under bombardment and showed another manifestation of the commitment, responsibility and dedication of the country's health community.

Accommodating nurses' families in hospitals to reduce staff concerns

Referring to one of the important experiences of managing the health sector during the war, Zafarkandi said: Some nurses, especially young nurses and women, were worried about the condition of their families during the war, and this concern could affect their mental conditions in the workplace.

He added: With the coordination of hospitals and universities of medical sciences, it was decided that the parts of the hospitals that were empty due to the reduction of non-emergency activities will be allocated for the placement of nurses and their families so that the families can be present in a more suitable and safe environment and the employees' worries will be reduced.

The Minister of Health continued: We heard many times from nurses who announced that if their families are settled in the hospital and they are sure of their safety, they can attend work shifts for several nights in a row and serve patients without worry.

Appreciating the efforts of the nursing community and other health workers during the war, Zafar Qandi stated: In these days, the capacity, commitment and responsibility of the health community, especially the nursing community, was clearly demonstrated and we are grateful for these efforts.

Referring to the actions of this ministry to support the nursing community, the Minister of Health said: Considering the conditions of the country and the limitation of budgetary resources, we have used all our efforts to follow up on the livelihood issues and demands of nurses.

He listed the development of support spaces for nurses and their families in hospitals as another priority of the Ministry of Health and added: In this regard, instructions have been sent to universities of medical sciences and hospitals, and the implementation of the program has begun in some centers, including Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. This program will gradually be followed in other centers as well.

Zafarkandi pointed out: Budget proposals have been presented for the development of this program in 1406 and we hope that with the cooperation of officials and related groups, we will be able to take more measures to support nurses and their families.

General education of cardiopulmonary resuscitation with the participation of the nursing community

Emphasizing the necessity of promoting public health literacy, the Minister of Health said: One of the important measures to strengthen the social capital of the health sector is to increase people's awareness about health issues and to teach basic skills to save human lives. An area in which the nursing community can play a prominent and effective role.

Zafarqandi added: With the coordination of the country's emergency organization, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, programs for training basic skills, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), are being implemented so that people can perform basic and necessary measures in emergency situations and before the arrival of rescue forces.

Referring to the use of home-made training equipment for cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, he stated: Smart CPR training devices have been used in some public places, including subway stations and emergency centers, and people can learn the correct method of cardiac massage by practicing on these devices.

The Minister of Health explained: By providing feedback on how to perform heart massage, this equipment helps people evaluate the correctness and quality of their performance and acquire the necessary skills to face emergency situations.

Strengthening the relationship between people and the health community to increase public trust

Emphasizing the importance of expanding health-oriented services in the society, Zafar Qandi stated: The more we can strengthen the relationship between the health sector and the people through services such as pain relief, home health care and general education, the better we can move in the direction of service delivery with patience and responsibility.

He added: In addition to helping to improve the health of the society, such actions can lead to the strengthening of social capital and increasing people's trust in the health system.

Referring to the results of some evaluations and surveys conducted on public trust in institutions, the Minister of Health said: According to the evaluations that have been mentioned, the health sector and the military forces are among the sectors that have a high position in public trust.

Zafar Qandi emphasized: Maintaining this social capital requires the continuation of honest service, effective communication with people and responding to their needs, and the expansion of health-oriented services can play an important role in strengthening this relationship.

Referring to the restrictions created in the field of maritime transportation and meeting the needs of the country, the Minister of Health stated: Some claim that medicine and medical equipment are not embargoed, but this claim is far from the existing facts. Such claims raise serious human and moral questions in situations where access to vital needs is limited.

Pointing to the problems of various economic and industrial sectors and attacks on some infrastructures, including steel factories and Asalouye facilities, he emphasized: The country is in a special situation and the health sector is not separated from the consequences of these conditions.

Emphasizing the patience and stability of the nursing community in the difficult conditions of war, Zafarkandi said: Patience and tolerance in difficult times is one of the valuable human criteria, which we clearly observed in the behavior and performance of nurses and health workers during the war.

He added: Everyone knows that the situation is not normal and that different parts of the country are facing many difficulties. In such a situation, patience and persistence become especially important and maintaining the spirit of service is a valuable responsibility for all health workers.

patience and persistence; A lasting teaching in the school of Hazrat Zainab (PBUH)

Referring to the philosophy of naming Nurse's Day on the occasion of Hazrat Zainab's birthday, the Minister of Health said: One of the important criteria that we should pay attention to is patience. Naming Nurse's Day on the occasion of the blessed birthday of Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) is a reminder of her patience, stability and spiritual greatness in the most difficult circumstances.

Zafarqandi added: If someone imagines the calamities, difficulties, fatigue and sufferings of the Ashura event for a moment, he can understand the depth of the spiritual greatness of Hazrat Zainab (PBUH). A character who, at the height of his sufferings, said: "I saw nothing but beauty."

Emphasizing that this view is one of the fundamental teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) school, he said: God speaks of "satisfaction" in the Holy Qur'an; Patience that should be manifested in action and in the face of difficulties.

The Minister of Health continued: Patience, stability and maintaining the spirit of service in the most difficult conditions is a valuable measure to measure the greatness of human beings, and we clearly observed this characteristic in the behavior of nurses and other members of the country's health community during the war.

Honoring the memory of martyrs in the field of health, especially the martyrs of nursing, Zafarkandi described the sacrifice and dedication of the health system employees during the war days as a lasting manifestation of the honor, dignity, bravery and epic creation of the Iranian nation.

Referring to the sacrifice of health workers during the difficult days of the war, he said: What we witnessed in these days was self-sacrifice. The scenes that will remain in the history of the honor and dignity of the Iranian nation.

Referring to the selfless presence of nurses and other health workers in critical situations, the Minister of Health added: We witnessed scenes of the sacrifice of these loved ones; From hospital guards to operating room staff who continued to serve people in the most difficult conditions and created valuable and honorable scenes.