1,000 chemical war victims sent abroad annually

Tehran, Dec 16, IRNA - The Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs is extending medical services to over 5,000 chemical war victims veterans, announced an official. Hamid Ali Samimi, the director general of the foundation’s Tehran department made the statement in an exclusive interview with 'Iran Daily', published Tuesday, adding that his organization is dispatching 1,000 chemical war victims veterans to European states including Britain, France and Germany for treatment each year. “All chemical war victims veterans, who are under the protection of Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, have been grouped into categorizes such as severe, medium and light,” he said. “Chemical war victims veterans with over 70 percent disability are being sent to hospitals abroad by the foundation,” added Samimi. He noted that several hospitals in Iran, including Sasan and Khatam ul-Anbia, have been equipped to provide service to chemical war victims veterans who were injured during the 1980-88 Iraqi imposed war on Iran. Samimi noted that the foundation also is facilitating visits by senior German and French doctors to Iranian hospitals to treat the chemical war victims veterans suffering from diseases resulting from chemical weapons. The official said the foundation also is supplying drugs and instruments needed for treating the veterans. Samimi pointed out that there are 548,499 war victims in the country, of whom 49,000 are living in the capital, Tehran. Noting that 22,700 people from Tehran were martyred during the eight-year war, the official said that his office is trying to provide service to 35,500 family members of martyrs in the city. He added that non-governmental organizations also play a key role in helping veterans and family members of martyrs. “Fortunately, in most of (war) affected countries such as Iran, there are NGOs which provide valuable assistance to state organizations such as Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs” in imparting services to veterans and war victims. “Such assistance is not limited to just financial help but also includes holding training classes, delivering treatment consultations, psychological supports,” Samimi said. Iran has experienced the bitter consequences of chemical attacks, in particular, during the 1987 gas attack on the Iranian border town of Sardasht. Over 1,000 individuals were killed and more than 8,000 were permanently victims following the attack. Many children gradually lost their vision after birth due to the chemical bombardment of border regions. Nearly 100,000 Iranians were affected by nerve and mustard gases during the eight-year war imposed on Iran by Iraq, and around one in 10 died before receiving any treatment. About five to six thousand are still receiving medical treatment./end