Iranian Health Minister dismissed from her post

Iranian health minister Marziyeh Vahid Dastjerdi has been dismissed from her post, ILNA reported.

Dastjerdi was the first female government minister in Iran since the Islamic Revolution. She is the third female government minister in Iranian history, after Farrokhroo Parsa and Mahnaz Afkhami.

Dastjerdi has been dismissed from her post, upon the order of the president.

Temporarily, Mohammadhasan Tariqat Monfared has been assigned as the head of the Health ministry.
Dr. Monfared is an eye surgeon, with a doctorate in medicine, is a board member and vice president of the Social care, Policy and Planning Department of the Welfare and Social Security ministry of Iran.

In recent weeks, some media circles in Iran reported that Dastjerdi could be dismissed from her post, yet the minister herself said such news were bogus.

Not long ago, Dastjerdi said Iran's Central Bank does not give out U.S. dollars to the Health ministry to buy needed medicine and drugs from abroad.
The minister said that it is possible to find bypass ways for transferring money abroad, however nothing can be done with the allocating of currency.

Dastjerdi noted that the Central Bank of Iran allocated only 33 percent of what it was supposed to allocate to imports of medicine and medical materials from abroad.

"The ministry of health has already given all of that amount to importers," Dastjerdi said, adding that the situation with drug shortages is bad, and will get worse, if appropriate measures are not taken.
Iran's health minister has expressed hope that $2,5 billion will be allocated by the end of the year, for importing medicine and medical equipment.