President Hassan Rouhani announced that his government has allocated 20 percent of its budget for the new Persian year of 1399 to countering the new coronavirus pandemic.
“This measure might surprise the world as we are currently under sanctions, along with the fact that our hospitals are well-equipped and our medical personal have high spirits,” Rouhani said.
Speaking at the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus, the president also said that Iran's health infrastructure is strong enough and prepared to counter a possible rise in COVID-19 cases.
“Our health infrastructure is strong; not only has it endured the present circumstances, but our doctors and nurses are ready for a possible spike,” he said.
“Thankfully everything is working out together; our oil refineries and oil wells, our power stations, our water treatment centers across the country and our national transport system are ready and active,” he said.
Rouhani added that the government covers 90 percent of coronavirus-related costs, pointing that patients in certain countries need to pay up to 1,500 dollars to receive similar services.
Grappling with the coronavirus outbreak, Iran is facing sweeping American sanctions targeting every aspect of the Iranian economy.
Many world leaders, figures and groups have called on the US to suspend the sanctions that have negatively impacted Iran’s efforts to curb the outbreak.
Washington, however, has rejected the calls, denying recent reports that it seeks to scale back sanctions against Iran.
Nearly 12,000 Iranians recover from COVID-19
Based on the latest statement provided by the Health Ministry on Saturday, 35,408 individuals have been confirmed to be infected with the disease, 2,517 of whom have lost their lives. As many as 11,679 individuals have also recovered from the virus.
Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a news conference that 3,076 more cases had been confirmed in the past 24 hours and 139 more people had died during the period.
"The condition of 3,026 of those hospitalised is critical in one way or another," he said, adding that 57 million Iranians had been screened for the virus.
The data received has been "significant" and has helped with early detection and intervention, Jahanpour said.