Seyed Hamid Reza Hashemi Golpayegani said Thursday that the US’ economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic, part of which hindering the imports of medical equipment, have deprived the EB patients of their most basic needs.
Hashemi Golpayegani said that medicine supply and bandage are the main necessities of such patients in Iran that are hard to come by since the re-imposition of the US sanctions on Iran in May 2018.
“For example, an A4 size bandage for EB patients costs up to 20 million rials ($166) for each patient. It can’t be bought in the non-regulated market either. Such bandage is made by many countries but the best ones are made in Sweden,” he added.
EB is a group of inherited connective tissue diseases that cause blisters in the skin and mucosal membranes. The blisters may appear in response to minor injury, even from heat, rubbing, scratching or adhesive tape. In severe cases, the blisters may occur inside the body, such as the lining of the mouth or the stomach.
Iran used to purchase wound dressings from a Swedish company annually and provide patients with them free of charge.
However, since last year, when Washington reimposed sanctions against Iran, the company has refused to sell the dressings to Iran. No suitable replacement has been found for the dressings, yet.
This comes as the United States claims its sanctions do not target the Iranian medical sector. And that is how the Europeans, especially Sweden, who claim to be supporters of human rights, are playing with the lives of Iranian children suffering from epidermolysis bullosa.
So far, due to brutal sanctions and the embargo on the import of the products, over 300 EB patients’ conditions have deteriorated and about ten of them have lost their lives.
MNA/ILNA828855