A team of nine doctors deployed to Iran by international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders — known by its French acronym, MSF — is expected to head back home without even starting its relief operations aimed at containing the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“While we offer our gratitude to MSF, with the national mobilization plan in place and all medical capacities of our armed forces used to fight the coronavirus, there is no need for hospital beds to be set up by foreign workers at the moment. This presence is canceled,” tweeted Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Iran’s health minister and spokesman for the recently established Committee to Combat Coronavirus. Iranian officials have not explained whether MSF’s donated medical items were turned back as well.
