Tehran, July 12, IRNA � Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi said west�s unfair sanctions against Iran cut the scientific exchanges of the Iranian medical experts with the world by half.

Talking to IRNA on Sunday, he said the sanctions also had adverse effects on proper supplying of medicine and medical equipment.

Despite West�s claims that sanctions did not target medicine and medical services sectors, the minister noted, the fact remains that banking restrictions created problems for the country in providing these items to patients.

He explained that even in certain cases Iran had to purchase the medicine and the medical equipment it needed in higher prices or even buy them from the companies which have less credit.

Hashemi said that the sanctions even inflicted serious blow to the research work of the Iranian medical sciences students and experts as they faced restricted access to the scientific sources they needed.

The minister stressed that west�s sanctions have certainly damaged the medical sector in Iran and hoped for the removal of sanctions which he described as inhuman.

By IRNA