Behind the front lines of the conflict, people who depend on regular medication and ongoing treatments are being pushed to the margins. Cancer patient Fatemeh S. says she has become increasingly anxious about her future since the war in Iran began on February 28, 2026. “I urgently need surgery,” she told DW.
Reliable figures are hard to obtain, but many Iranians need uninterrupted chemotherapy, care for multiple sclerosis, treatment for blood disorders, insulin for diabetes, and regular vaccinations. Two Austria-based Iranian doctors and human rights activists, Dr Hassan Naib Hashem and Dr Hamid Hematpour, say the situation has deteriorated as private clinics and medical centers close, hospitals operate with too few staff, scheduled surgeries are postponed and routine services are interrupted.
“Some specialists in Tehran currently care for 200 to 300 patients — that is many times the normally manageable capacity,” radiologist Hamid Hematpour told DW. Colleagues inside Iran have reported power outages in hospitals after attacks. Since the start of the US-Israeli war in Iran on February 28, 2026, authorities have also severely restricted internet access. “When internet and phone connections are curbed, medical coordination becomes nearly impossible,” Hematpour said, adding that telemedicine consultations have virtually stopped.
Many physicians have relocated to northern provinces such as Gilan and Mazandaran on the Caspian Sea, leaving chronically ill patients without contact with their treating doctors and without access to specialized medicines. Some essential drugs require constant refrigeration and can spoil during power outages, further endangering patients.
Iran’s Health Ministry has said there are “sufficient strategic reserves,” but families and relief workers describe disruptions in the drug distribution system, while international sanctions complicate procurement. “This is life-threatening for people with haemophilia or rare genetic disorders,” Hematpour warned. “Many of these medications are not freely available on the market anyway and if shortages persist for more than a few weeks, these groups face an irreversible health crisis.”
The Vienna-based doctors fear that a further escalation could push Iran’s healthcare system toward collapse. A rising number of war casualties would quickly overwhelm services. In some areas, including the western provinces of Ilam and Kermanshah, shortages have already appeared even for basic medicines and antibiotics, Hematpour said.
“War shakes the foundation of all rights, namely the right to life,” Dr Hassan Naib Hashem told DW. “Once this fundamental right is threatened, further violations follow almost inevitably, such as the right to health and medical care.” He noted that experience from past conflicts shows the injured typically outnumber the dead by three to six times.
A World Health Organization report cites more than 1,300 deaths and 9,000 injuries reported to national health authorities in Iran since the start of the war. WHO has verified 18 attacks on healthcare facilities, which have resulted in eight deaths among health workers.
The disruption of services, the loss of trained staff, interruptions to supply chains and repeated attacks on health infrastructure are creating a widening humanitarian emergency for people with chronic and complex health needs. This article was originally published in Farsi.