The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a series of attacks on medical facilities in Iran, noting that these incidents have severely disrupted healthcare services and pose a significant threat to public health amid escalating regional conflict.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports, citing international media outlets, that the Pasteur Institute in Iran sustained heavy damage and is currently unable to continue its medical operations.
According to official reports, a strike on March 29 caused extensive damage to the Delaram Sina Psychiatric Hospital. Another attack on March 31 targeted the Tofiq Daru Pharmaceutical Center, a facility specialized in producing essential medications for cancer and multiple sclerosis. While no casualties were reported in these specific incidents, the infrastructure damage remains critical.
The WHO further documented that since March 1, more than 20 attacks on healthcare facilities have been verified across Iran. These incidents have resulted in at least nine deaths, including an infectious disease specialist and a member of the Iranian Red Crescent Society. "The conflict in Iran and the wider region is impacting the delivery of healthcare services and the safety of health workers, patients, and civilians in medical facilities. Peace is the best medicine," the organization stated in its report.
Iran's Ministry of Health previously attributed the severe damage at the Pasteur Institute to strikes involving external forces. The targeting of medical infrastructure during periods of geopolitical instability remains a violation of international humanitarian standards, which mandate the protection of healthcare workers and facilities during armed conflicts to ensure the continued treatment of civilians and the vulnerable.
