Motor vehicle crashes cost Iran as much as 6-7% of the country’s gross domestic product, the head of Air Emergency Medical Services said on Monday. Noting that road accidents claimed the lives of 16,000 people last year (March 2017-18), Mohammad Sorour added that about 100,000 of the country’s rural roads are not under the purview of any organization, which increases road casualties. “As we speak, there are 2,400 emergency stations in the country. Under the 2014 Health Reform Plan, the number of air emergency medical services increased from five to 33,” IRNA quoted Sorour as saying. The plan was introduced to fulfill President Hassan Rouhani’s election campaign promise of healthcare for all Iranians by 2018 under a nationwide health insurance scheme.
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