In an interview with Iran Press on Saturday, Iran's health minister, Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, emphasized that up to 17000 people, including 10000 medical and nursing staff, divided into 40 different groups, will provide medical services from eastern to western borders of Iran, and throughout Iraq along the route taken by the mourners and pilgrims. The health minister added: "They will provide for the medical needs of Arbaeen mourners."
The Iranian health minister emphasized that at least 15 Iranian universities and medical schools are directly contributing tho this great effort, and that there also donors who provide substantial financial support.
In further remarks, Ghazizadeh Hashemi said: "I hope the pilgrims and mourners take great care of themselves, both in terms of what they eat and drink, and also with regards to driving , they shouldn't take unnecessary risks, they should drive carefully, and they mustn't try to complete a journey which should normally take two days in a car in a single day !! It is better to drive cautiously , and it is better to be safe than sorry !! And they mustn't sit behind the wheel of a car if they feel sleepy."
Commenting on medicines and drugs, health minister Ghazizadeh Hashemi said: "There are plenty of pharmaceutical drugs and medicines for those mourners and pilgrims who need it, both in Iran and in Iraq. There are plenty of medical personnel and equipment to cater for all the different medical needs of the Arbaeen mourners and pilgrims."
The Iranian health minister went on to thank journalists and media for covering the Arbaeen mourning, saying journalists are also doing "a fine job, covering this event which is an honour and a blessing."
Ghazizadeh Hashemi added: "We have coordinated with Iraqi health authorities. Iran's red crescent society and Iranian specialist medical teams -- composed of doctors and nurses -- will be present inside Iraq, all along the route taken by the pilgrims. He added: "In Iran itself, ambulances are positioned along the way from eastern to western Iran, at intervals ranging from 5 kilometers to 45 kilometers, depending on the location, and they are ready to provide medical services to the mourners and pilgrims."
