As the number of health care professionals falling victim to COVID-19 is soaring in Iran, the government will be recruiting of 10,000 to join the country's Ministry of Health, its contractors, and affiliated companies.
The head of Plan and Budget Organization (PBO), Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, announced Thursday evening that the new workforce would serve under the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
Nobakht said the government had earlier endorsed three thousand job openings. Still, due to the critical health condition and the unabated pandemic across Iran, it has decided to raise the number to 10,000.
His remarks came a day after it was announced 6,000 medical staff have tested positive for coronavirus, and 140 died of COVID-19 since the start of the crisis in February.
It is not clear how many of those health workers who tested positive will return to work in addition to 10,000 recruits.
Iran has the highest number of coronavirus victims in Asia, immediately behind India.
According to the Islamic Republic's official statistics, 16,569 people have so far died of COVID-19 in Iran, and 300 thousand more infected by coronavirus.
However, there are many doubts over the accuracy of the official statistics announced by the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Health. Many observers have criticized the Ministry for lack of transparency in disseminating information, reluctance in declaring precise causes of deaths, and the manner of testing people for coronavirus.
The Research Center of Islamic legislative Assembly of the Iranian parliament had previously reported that the number of people fallen victim to coronavirus was at least twice more than the Ministry of Health's figure.