‘Patients First’: Iran’s Pharmacists Rebuke Ministry’s Hijab Directive

Iran's government is under fire from the nation's pharmacists following a directive that ties a pharmacy's adherence to the mandated hijab law to its allocation of medicine.

Pharmacy officials are speaking out against the government-run Food and Drug Administration's recent hijab mandate, stressing their commitment to patient care above a patient’s personal beliefs.

Earlier this week, the Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) announced that pharmacies failing to enforce the mandatory hijab would face reduced medication allocations.

The IFDA head, Heidar Mohammadi, stated on Monday that violators would first receive a warning, followed by more severe deterrent measures if the warning proves ineffective. Continuous non-compliance could result in legal actions against the violators.

The spokesperson for the Iran Pharmacists Association, Hadi Ahmadi, responded to the warning on Tuesday that “the problem of pharmacies is not the hijab, but the lack of drugs,” as they are now facing a “shortage of nearly 300 drugs”.

Ahmadi also decried "the interference of unrelated bodies in the health sector" in an interview with ‘reformist’ Entekhab outlet.

“The Ministry of Health and Iran Medical Council establish the law for us. We also have an ethics committee, a charter of patients' rights, and an oath. We follow these rules. For us, it doesn't matter what race, color, or creed the patient is; Our job is to serve the patient,” Ahmadi added.

The head of the Supreme Council of Pharmacies of Iran, Hadi Okhovatpour, told centrist outlet Khabar Online that “if the intention is to enforce hijab on patients, it cannot be done. The pharmacy's duty is to supply medicine to the patient."

“No one asks patients about their identity, religion or beliefs while providing treatment,” Okhovatpour stressed.

In an apparent effort to address and soften the blow of criticism, the regime’s official news agency IRNA attempted to clarify the IFDA's stance by stating that the hijab rule pertains to pharmacy "employees, not customers."

Given that the hijab mandate for female pharmacy staff is already in place as a regulation, it seems likely that the new requirement was initially intended to extend to patients as well.

In addition to Iran's standard hijab regulations, an additional meticulous requirement was introduced in August 2021 and reinforced in 2023 for pharmacy staff, mandating the wearing of a black veil among other dress code requirements.

In the wake of Mahsa Jina Amini's killing in September 2022, while in custody of the so-called morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly, nationwide protests surged, under the banner of "Woman, Life, Freedom."

Iranian authorities responded to demands for regime-change by brutally suppressing demonstrations, arresting over 20,000 individuals and causing the deaths of more than 500 young Iranian protesters.

The regime subsequently stepped up its use of facial recognition technology to renew its enforcement of the stringent hijab laws – leading to the closure of various establishments, including pharmacies serving uncovered women.