Head of Iran’s Medical Mobilization Organization to Al-Ahed: We’re Bringing the Coronavirus under Control
By Mokhtar Haddad
Tehran - The Islamic Republic of Iran is on high alert as it battles the coronavirus in a number of cities. All relevant institutions joined forces to provide services to citizens and raise public awareness to prevent the spread of the disease.
Iran is one of the leading countries in the field of healthcare as well as medical and scientific research. According to the World Health Organization’s spokesperson, Iran has the experience and the necessary infrastructure to combat such diseases.
Al-Ahed news sat down with the head of Iran’s Medical Mobilization Organization, Dr. Ibrahim Metwallian, for a closer look at the most important measures the Islamic Republic is taking to combat the coronavirus.
“As you know, the coronavirus was identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Due to its rapid spread, it has entered more than 60 countries in the world,” Metwallian said. “Throughout the past 40 years and following the victory of the revolution gave rise to a period of sacred defense as well as fighting and ending diseases from their roots like polio. The medical and health services including the health infrastructure in the country have developed. We see that all the relevant institutions were ready and entered the fight."
He pointed out that "medical mobilization in the country involves raising public awareness and mobilizing in order to inform people about this disease and how to prevent it."
Referring to the most important thing that medical mobilization has done in this field, Metwallian said, "We have allocated a system over the phone (No. 4030) for citizens to call. And the health mobilization would provide a 24-hour counseling through specialists. That is why we have seen a decrease in the number of citizens visiting hospitals and clinics as well as a decrease in the level of anxiety among people."
"We have trained and educated the various groups in the mobilization. There are 22 categories, including student mobilization and professionals. They are now providing services to citizens in centers set up across cities. They measure people’s body temperatures and ask them several questions. If they were suspected of being infected with the coronavirus, they will be sent to the specialized health centers that are dedicated to respiratory diseases. In other words, we are sorting out the infected from homes and neighborhoods and raising awareness. This has led to a decrease in anxiety among citizens and fewer people in hospitals."
“I visited the holy city of Qom and studied the methods of prevention, and now citizens are being trained and educated. We have 700 centers under the umbrella of martyr Dr. Rhanmon across the country. We aim to provide medical and nursing personnel to serve in hospitals and help nurses so that they do not get tired at work. We now have nurses working in hospitals for 24 hours to serve citizens," he said.
Regarding cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Metwallian explained that “with the help of the Ministry of Health, we are providing medicine at health and medical centers. And we have also prepared large centers like sports halls as a backup. We have equipped them with beds, and they will be used in case they are needed for patients to stay there after they are discharged from the hospital during their recovery period."
"The virus is not a living organism. When it enters the body, it starts its activity. And we, in the country, have conducted good studies. We have the necessary strength due to our past experiences in controlling the H1N1 flu and other types as well as eliminating polio when we discovered the vaccine and the medicine that treats it. We have started this in our laboratories, but now the most important issue is controlling the coronavirus, and with God’s help we are heading towards controlling it,” Metwallian concluded.
