Statements on the Meeting with Nurses and Families of Health Martyrs

On the occasion of the birth of Lady Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her) and Nurse's Day.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family, especially the Awaited One on the earth.

I congratulate the birth of Lady Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her) and Nurse's Day to each and every one of you dear ones, brothers, dear sisters, and esteemed and proud activists in the field of medicine, treatment, and health.

This meeting is a good opportunity to express some words about the defenders of health and the dear nurses, to convey some facts and truths; however, before that, I find it appropriate to express my respect for the great lady of Karbala, Lady Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her). Much has been said, discussed, praised, honored, and revered about Zainab al-Kubra in statements and words, which has been very appropriate and correct; however, there are two important points in the life of this great lady that I will now present.

The more important and first point is this; and that is that Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her) was able to show all of history and the entire world the immense spiritual and intellectual capacity of women; this is very important. To the dismay of those who, both at that time and in our era, belittle women in various ways, Zainab al-Kubra was able to demonstrate the elevated status of women and the greatness of women's spiritual, intellectual, and moral power; I will now briefly explain this. The belittlement we mentioned today is a reality that we will not delve into; the Westerners, in particular, are dangerously belittling women. This great lady, Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her), demonstrated two points: one point is that women can be an immense ocean of patience and endurance; the second is that women can be a high peak of wisdom and management; these were practically demonstrated by Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her); not only to those in Kufa and Sham but to history and all of humanity.

Regarding patience and endurance; the patience that Zainab al-Kubra exhibited and the endurance she showed in the face of calamities is truly indescribable. Firstly, patience in the face of martyrdoms. In almost half a day or a short day, eighteen of her dear ones and relatives were martyred, one of whom was her great brother, the proof of God, Imam Hussain (peace be upon him); these individuals were martyred before her eyes; two of her own children were also martyred; she endured. A mountain would crumble in the face of such a calamity; Zainab al-Kubra was able to endure; she endured and was able to carry out subsequent actions with her spiritual strength. If she had been impatient, if she had cried out, if she had shown restlessness, she would not have been able to deliver these speeches and carry out this great movement; thus, patience in the face of martyrdoms.

Patience in the face of insults. A lady who lived with dignity from the very beginning of her life, and from childhood to adulthood, has always been looked upon with greatness, is insulted by the riffraff of the Umayyad army, yet she endures and does not break.

Patience in the face of the heavy responsibility of gathering orphaned children and grieving women; this is a tremendous task. She was able to gather and manage these dozens of grieving and afflicted women and children during this difficult journey; these were Zainab's actions; patience. Truly, Zainab al-Kubra demonstrated an ocean of patience and tranquility; that is, a woman can reach this point; to this great level of spiritual and moral power. Alongside these things I mentioned, caring for the proof of God, caring for Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), which also required patience, she was able to do in the best manner; this is regarding patience.

However, regarding wisdom, wise behavior, and intellectual power and management. The behavior she exhibited during captivity is truly astonishing; in my opinion, we must study, contemplate, write, and produce artistic effects on every aspect of this behavior; is this a joke?

[Also] in the face of arrogant and haughty rulers, she was a symbol of steadfastness and spiritual authority. In Kufa, when Ibn Ziyad opens his mouth to mock, saying, for example, "Did you see what happened? Did you see you were defeated?"; she responds, "I saw nothing but beauty"; (2) she struck that arrogant, vile, haughty man in the face; this is in response to [Ibn Ziyad]. In front of Yazid, when Yazid uttered nonsensical and absurd words and did those actions, she delivered statements that are truly historical, saying, "Do your plotting and strive... by God, you will not erase our memory"; (3) in today's language, this means that you can do whatever you want, you can act however you wish, by God, you will not be able to erase our memory from the minds of people. To whom does she say this? To the arrogant, haughty, tyrannical, bloodthirsty Yazid; this shows the spiritual power of a woman; what power is this? What greatness is this? [These] demonstrate wisdom and sagacity. These words are articulated with calculation. However, when she stands before the people, that is not a place for showing authority, it is a place for admonishment, for clarification, for reproaching the people who do not know what they have done and what they should have done.

In Kufa, in Lady Zainab's sermon, when the people began to weep loudly, Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) said: "Are you crying? Does your tear not cease and your sigh not settle?"; your crying will never cease; what is this crying you are doing? Do you know what you have done? "Your example is like that of the one who unraveled her weaving after it had been strong"; (4) you have done something that has destroyed all your past efforts. This is how she speaks; and I strongly believe that one of the important factors in the movement of the Tawabeen, who later rose in Kufa and initiated that great event, was this statement of Lady Zainab and this sermon of Lady Zainab. Therefore, this first point about the personality of Lady Zainab is summarized in that Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her) demonstrated the spiritual and intellectual capacity of women through her behavior and statements. She speaks in a way that is as if Amir al-Mu'minin is speaking; she stands as if the Prophet is standing before the infidels. This is the capacity of women.

The other important point in the life of this great lady, which also indicates sagacity, is that this great lady initiated the jihad of clarification, the jihad of narration; she did not allow the enemy's narrative of the event to prevail; she made it so that her narrative prevailed in public opinion. Now, to this day, the narrative of Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her) regarding the event of Ashura has remained in history; however, at that time, it also had an impact in Sham, in Kufa, in the entire period of Umayyad rule, and ultimately led to the downfall of the Umayyad government. See! This is a lesson; this is the same thing I always say: you must narrate the truths of your society, your country, and your revolution. If you do not narrate, the enemy will narrate; if you do not narrate the revolution, the enemy will narrate; if you do not narrate the event of the Sacred Defense, the enemy will narrate, however it wishes; it justifies, it lies [even] 180 degrees contrary to reality; it reverses the roles of the oppressor and the oppressed. If you do not narrate the event of the seizure of the spy den - which unfortunately we did not - the enemy narrates and has narrated; the enemy has narrated, with false narratives. This is the work we must do; it is the duty of our youth.

Now let us enter the issue of nurses. Regarding nurses, firstly, what I will present is a look at the values of nursing; this is one matter that I will say a few sentences about. Then, a look at the difficulties and bitterness of nursing that we must understand, the Iranian nation must understand what the nursing community endures with this work. Another matter is the demands of nurses; they have demands. Now, thanks be to God, the officials are also present in this meeting, I will present a summary of the demands of nurses - not all of them.

However, regarding values, there is a main point, and that is helping the needy; that is, a nurse is someone who helps a person who is in need of help in everything; they need water, they need food, they need comfort at night for sleeping, they need pain relief, they need medicine, and other various needs that the nurse helps to fulfill, like an angel of salvation to this person who is in utmost need. Well, helping the needy is a high value in all cultures; especially the most needy [individual], that is, the patient. This is an important and prominent point that has been expressed as helping the needy. I should also tell you that one of the instructions of the people of the path and the people of unity and ethics and such is to help the needy; that is, you who are nurses, when you are engaged in your profession, you are practicing one of the important instructions of the path of unity. This is the significance of this [work], this is a very high value. This is one.

The next value of nursing is that it is a hard job; hard work has greater rewards, greater value. The work that is done with difficulty, for which a person endures hardship, has a higher value in divine measure; because this work is accompanied by difficulty, of which we will present a summary later; therefore, the value of nursing is a compounded value, greater than other forms of help; because it is hard work.

Another valuable point is that this nursing movement provides peace of mind; peace of mind for whom? Firstly, the patient, who has a sense of reassurance; when the nurse is by the patient's side, they have reassurance. Secondly, the relatives of the patient who know that the nurse is beside their sick person, they feel at ease; if this nurse is not there, they will experience anxiety and worry. Thirdly, all people; well, all consciences are troubled due to the suffering and toil of those who are suffering; if we know that there is no nurse by the side of a patient who is in pain, suffering, hungry, thirsty, there is no one, no nurse, naturally our conscience becomes troubled, we become anxious, but because we know the nurse is there, we feel at ease. The nurse is a source of security; both for the patient, for the relatives of the patient, and for the rest of the people, who are relieved of their conscience by the nurses. Therefore, with this account, the nursing community not only has rights over the patient, but also has rights over me and rights over those who have no relationship with that patient; because they provide them with peace of mind.

There is also a compounded value for nursing in the Islamic Iran, and that is that the arrogant enemies, the arrogant powers of the world, are pleased with the suffering of the Iranian nation! Do you not believe it? The enemies are pleased with the suffering of the Iranian nation; what is the reason? The reason is the chemical bombardments during the Sacred Defense; thousands of young people were afflicted with incurable and painful diseases due to chemical bombardments. Sometimes even their families, their children [became afflicted]. Yes, these chemical bombardments were carried out by Saddam, but who gave him that bomb? Who provided that chemical material? Who watched with permission and consent? The mere existence of chemical weapons in a country causes all of them to make a fuss, [but] this man was carrying out chemical bombardments before everyone's eyes, and America, England, France, and others watched, praised, and assisted him! Well, therefore, they are pleased with the suffering of the Iranian nation. Or the same drug sanctions; God helped that our young scientists were able to produce the coronavirus vaccine. They saw that if it remained closed and the vaccine did not enter, well, Iran would produce more. If our young people, our scientists had not produced this vaccine, it was unclear how this vaccine would reach the Iranian nation and officials; they take pleasure in the suffering of the Iranian nation.

Well, you who are nurses, if you can bring a smile to the lips of a patient and the relatives of the patient in such an atmosphere, you have indeed engaged in a struggle against global arrogance. Here, nursing also means confronting and facing global arrogance. The nursing community [has] such a situation, it has numerous values [to offer]. Now I have only pointed out a few points; more can be said in this regard. This is regarding the values of nursing.

The difficulties and bitterness; the nature of nursing work is hardship, bitterness. That a person observes the suffering of patients, the pain of patients, the moans of patients, the sleeplessness of patients, that a person sees this constantly before their eyes, well, this is bitter, this is very hard, this is among the hardest things for a person. [That] repeatedly observing these physical needs of patients before one’s eyes and addressing them - not just watching and passing by - suffering, treating their suffering; they are hungry, they are thirsty, treating them; they have various other problems, treating them; caring for the patient day and night, these are the hardships of nursing. Therefore, the nature of nursing work is a nature of hardship.

At times, this hardship multiplies, such as during the COVID period, and also during the Sacred Defense. It was the same during the Sacred Defense; most of you are young, you may not remember; those who were there at that time know; we had hospitals during the Sacred Defense that were not far from the front line. I myself have seen these hospitals up close. In these hospitals, there were doctors and nurses; under bombardment! I myself was in one of these hospitals that was bombed, I was present there; I witnessed the severe bombardment that took place. The paramedics went into the heart of fire and blood, meaning this was also present during the Sacred Defense and was multiplied.

The COVID period was the same [situation]; during the COVID period, honestly, the work became doubly hard, working hours increased, vacations decreased. During the Nowruz holidays, the nurse could not reach their family, their child, their spouse, their parents; these things have great significance, these are very important. At times when everyone is resting, everyone is engaged in life and enjoying life, this nurse is in the hospital facing bitterness, facing illness [and] does not visit home; these are the hardships. Then also witnessing deaths; well, how much can a person endure witnessing the deaths of individuals? During the COVID period, how many nurses in hospitals witnessed the passing of people - old, young, women, men -! These are hard; very hard.

Alongside these, they also witnessed the deaths of their colleagues. How many of their colleagues passed away? Until yesterday, the day before yesterday, their colleague was beside them, now they contracted COVID and passed away. These are very hard! These hardships must be seen, understood, and valued by the Iranian nation regarding the nursing community. Then alongside all these dangers, there is also the danger of the nurse contracting a fatal illness. They are always in anticipation of this danger; how many nurses became infected! Every nurse thinks that today they are working healthily, tomorrow the illness may also catch them; this is a very important danger. We have heard in the past about public afflictions like cholera and plague that used to come, that individuals would go to help the patients, for example, to assist, care for, and nurse them, and they themselves would become infected and die; such cases occurred rarely; we witnessed these in bulk in our own time.

There is one point here that I want to mention: alongside the nurses, there were also non-nurses who collaborated with them; clerics, students, various youths went to hospitals and learned a little [and helped] or did whatever they could; the same was true during the Sacred Defense, individuals who were not professionals entered the field to help the nurses, felt a sense of duty, came to the hospital, did whatever they could, however they could to assist the medical teams, including nursing. In my opinion, this [work] carries an important and brilliant truth in our dear country and for our dear nation: this shows the vibrant, active, and conscientious identity of the Iranian nation; it shows that this movement in the Iranian nation is public, which has certainly been seen in other public disasters; now I pointed out the nursing aspect. This is a continuous thread; from before the revolution, from the struggles during the Shah's oppression to the events of the revolution, to the events of the Sacred Defense, to the events after that, to COVID; in all of these, this committed and responsible identity of the Iranian nation has shown itself; just as it was during the struggles against oppression, it was during the Sacred Defense, it was during the events after, it was during COVID, and in the great scientific movement of the country, it is an important current that demonstrates [the identity of] our nation.

This shows the identity of our nation; this movement is an identity-building movement for the nation; this is the same thing that heroes like Martyr Soleimani, Martyr Fakhrizadeh, Martyr Shahriari emerge from this identity; this is a truth that manifests itself in various forms and appearances: the identity of the Iranian nation; these identity-building truths and signs of identity; they are both signs of identity and also strengthen and build the identity of the Iranian nation. This also relates to the hardships.

Here, I want to address our artists. We have a deficiency in the artistic narration of these events; the same hospital events, the same ones I just mentioned. These hardships of nurses and the difficulties they face have artistic material; to use a common foreign expression in the language of artists, these have dramatic material, and attractive artistic programs can be created from these. They should come into the field, with various arts; whether performing arts, visual arts, poetry, literature. They should bring these [into artistic works]. These are a tremendous cultural asset; everyone should utilize these, and those who can critique these assets are our artists. Thanks be to God, we do not lack committed and responsible artists; they should come into the field. Well, this also relates to the hardships and bitterness that we have said a few sentences about. Of course, there is more than this, and more can be said.

However, the demands. The main demand of the nursing community is to strengthen the nursing community. If we want to summarize in one word, the nursing community expects all of us, especially the responsible institutions - of which the honorable minister is present here - to strengthen the nursing community. Now, if we do not strengthen the nursing community, we will suffer blows in critical moments, as the COVID issue showed; where we are in need, we will be struck. The nursing community must be strengthened for emergencies. One may not always feel the need in that way - which we certainly do; because we currently have problems regarding the number [of personnel] that I will mention and many other things - but if we do not strengthen it, in critical moments like this COVID issue, we will be struck.

Specifically, one of their demands is the tariffing of nursing services, which is certainly a main demand; I mentioned this last year as well, (5) I emphasized it, unfortunately, those who should [have done something] did not! The tariff law has been prepared since 2007, and until the last days of the previous government, the regulations for this [law] had not been written; that is, this law was almost fourteen years old without its regulations being organized and prepared! Well, why? I insist that the Ministry of Health pursue this tariff issue seriously in this government. This is an important request from the nurses; a real demand.

Another demand is the issue of the shortage of nurses, to the extent that is needed. Now, in the statistics they show us, the comparison with the global average; I do not care about that; the global average may be correct, it may be wrong; I care about the need. We do not have the number of nurses that our hospital beds currently require. Now some say one hundred thousand [nurses], some say less, some say [more]; I do not specify a number because I do not have precise information, but I know that we have a shortage of nurses. The nurse-to-population ratio must be completed relative to what is needed; it is very low. Of course, this is not something that can be done in a month or two; it takes some time, but this work must be done in due time, God willing.

Another demand is the issue of job security. In past years, it has happened, and it happened in this COVID issue as well, that they called for those who are ready to come and work; they came and signed short-term contracts with them, then when their need was met, they said, "Please leave!" Well, this person does not have job security, with what motivation will they come to work and nurse? Therefore, job security is also one of the various issues. Do not look at the nurse as a seasonal worker who we bring today and tomorrow say we do not need you, go; no, job security! Of course, these have mechanisms that experts know. Of course, there are other demands, but now time has passed, I will not continue. Friends, especially in the Ministry of Health and Treatment, should pursue these.

Two points outside the issue of nurses, related to health matters, I want to mention, which are also important. One point is about the health network of the country, which I have previously emphasized regarding this health network. (6) At one point in the 1980s and almost the early 1990s, the focus of the government and institutions was on health, on prevention, which had very good effects; we must pursue this, this is important. Prevention is better than treatment; treatment is necessary, not that we should neglect treatment, but we should not neglect prevention. This requires that this health network, which had previously been established and had many blessings, should be rebuilt; it exists, [but] it is weak, it is not given attention; [it should] be strengthened, rebuilt. If the health network becomes truly active, it can accomplish great things with less cost.

The second issue is the equitable distribution of doctors; equitable distribution. Now, [whether] we have a shortage of doctors, we do not have, I do not enter into these discussions, those in the field know whether we have a shortage or not; but what I know is that the distribution of doctors is not equitable. In some areas of the country - in remote areas - there are shortages; attention must be paid to the equitable distribution of doctors. This [is] our remarks.

Seek help from the Almighty God, trust in the Almighty God; in all matters of the country, in all matters of life, we must ask from God, request, supplicate, and trust in God; وَمَن یَتَوَکَّل عَلَی اللهِ فَهُوَ حَسبُه; (7) whoever trusts in God, God suffices them; know this. [Of course] the meaning of trusting in God does not mean that we do not work; it is clear; that is, with confidence in the divine promise that He has said if you work, I will bless you, we must work; we must trust in the divine promise.

We hope, God willing, that your tomorrow will be better than your today and your future will be better than your past; and God willing, the Iranian nation will benefit from your efforts and services, and may the Almighty God reward all of you, reward the nurses; and may He grant victory and honor to the Iranian nation in the face of enemies - in all areas of confrontation - God willing.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.