The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have condemned recent attacks on health facilities in Iran amid escalating regional conflict. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus stated on Thursday that repeated strikes have damaged hospitals, research centres, and pharmaceutical plants, disrupting essential medical services. The Pasteur Institute in Tehran, established in 1920 and home to two WHO collaborating centres, sustained significant damage and can no longer deliver health services. Other affected sites include the Delaram Sina Psychiatric Hospital, damaged on 29 March, and the Tofigh Daru pharmaceutical facility, hit on 31 March, which produces medicines for cancer and multiple sclerosis patients.
UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo expressed grave concern over the reported damage, stressing that health infrastructure and personnel must be protected under international humanitarian law. Since 1 March, WHO has verified over 20 attacks on health care in Iran, resulting in at least nine deaths, including a health worker and a Red Crescent member. An explosion near Imam Ali Hospital in Andimeshk on 21 March forced evacuation and suspension of services. Tedros noted that the conflict is endangering health workers, patients, and civilians, adding that peace is the best medicine. Similar attacks have been documented in Lebanon, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, with WHO warning of a growing pattern of health infrastructure targeting in conflict zones.
The destruction of the Pasteur Institute — a cornerstone of Iran's medical research since 1920 — signals that even century-old institutions are not spared in modern conflict. When WHO verifies 20 attacks on health facilities in a single country within weeks, the message is not just about damage but about the systematic erosion of public health under fire. For Nigerians, this underscores how fragile medical infrastructure can become in times of crisis, especially when global powers engage in proxy confrontations. Condemnations from Tedros Ghebreyesus and Alexander De Croo, while clear, have not stopped the strikes — suggesting diplomacy is trailing far behind destruction.
