Exchange of letters on providing six MRIs for capacity development in medical service in Iran

令和3年10月31日

On October 26^th, in Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. MATSUO Hirotaka, Charge d'Affaires ad interim of Japan to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Dr. HUSSAIN Syed Jaffar, WHO Resident Representative in Islamic Republic of Iran, exchanged the letters on the Grant Aid Project named “the Project for Strengthening Capacity of Health for COVID-19 Crisis through the Provision of Medical Equipment,” which is equivalent to 6.3 million USD.

The COVID-19 has spread all over the world and it is pointed out that patients with COVID-19 have a fairly high risk of neurologic complications, including encephalopathy, stroke, central nervous system infection, seizures, and neuromuscular diseases. Additionally, the infection may be associated with an increased incidence of cerebrovascular diseases such as ischemic stroke and intracerebral haemorrhage. MRIs are necessary for diagnosis of these diseases. However, MRIs are not enough in Iran as they are not manufactured locally.
This project is to provide six MRIs in five provinces of Iran, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), to meet the country’s need for equipment to diagnose complications of the new coronavirus.
This project is expected to improve medical service in Iran, and it will contribute to strengthening social economic basis of the country.

The Government of Japan has supported Iran in the field of health since the beginning of the spread of COVID-19. The support so far reached over 34 million UDS, including the provision of 14 CT scanners and 89 echo sonographies. The Government of Japan also donated about 3 million Japan-made AstraZeneca vaccines last July, when Iran was in the middle of 5th wave of the pandemic and serious needs for vaccines.

This support regarding MRIs is expected to contribute to improvement of health in Iran and further relationship between the two countries.