Surging inflation and worsening economic hardship in Iran have sharply increased the cost of hygiene and medical supplies for around 45,000 people living with spinal cord injuries, the Iranian news website Khabar Online reported on Tuesday.
Citing field reports from several provinces, the outlet said essential daily items including sterile gauze, specialized wound dressings, catheters, catheter bags, syringes, lubricating gel, tissues and medication for pressure sores have seen steep price increases.
The cost of these supplies, according to the report, has at least doubled or tripled over the past two months for people requiring long-term care.
The continued economic crisis has reduced access to critical medical equipment, worsening pressure sores and undermining the quality of daily care for patients, Khabar Online said.
The outlet warned that the monthly welfare payment of 25 million rials ($15) allocated for hygiene supplies no longer covers rising care costs and could lead to worsening health conditions and higher treatment expenses for people with disabilities.
In recent weeks, Iranians have told Iran International of soaring inflation, medicine shortages, sharp price increases, deepening recession, widespread job losses and disruptions caused by internet outages.
“One family cannot even find medicine for their child anymore,” one citizen said in a message to Iran International, adding that internet restrictions had cut people with mobility impairments off from their only link to society.
‘Disabled people pushed back to the Stone Age’
Some people with spinal injuries have begun reusing disposable hygiene items because of rising costs, leading to infections and secondary wounds, Behrouz Morovati, head of the Campaign for Disabled People, told Khabar Online.
Morovati said soaring diaper prices have forced some families to use makeshift alternatives such as cloth and rags.
“Because of limited access to hygiene supplies, the normal lives of disabled people have been pushed back to the Stone Age,” he said. “Even wounds that could be controlled through regular care have deepened in many cases, increasing the risk of infection, hospitalization and irreversible complications.”
Morovati had previously warned in December 2025 that 95% of people with disabilities in Iran were living below the absolute poverty line.
Patients describe mounting pressure
Khabar Online also spoke to several people with spinal cord injuries about the impact of the economic crisis on their daily lives.
Mahmoud, a resident of Qazvin with a degree in business management, said people with spinal injuries require at least four catheters and four syringes a day.
“Each catheter now costs between 120,000 and 150,000 rials and each syringe around 50,000 rials,” he said. “Those two items alone cost nearly 30 million rials ($17) a month.”
Pressure sores, he added, require daily washing, sterilization and dressing changes, which have become increasingly expensive.
“Some days I have to leave longer gaps between dressing changes or use non-standard supplies to control costs, but that only worsens my condition,” Mahmoud said. “Pain and fear of infection have become part of my daily life.”
Zahra Moradi, a psychology graduate living in Karaj, said women with spinal injuries face additional challenges under worsening economic conditions.
“Access to hygiene products during menstruation, bladder and bowel complications and limited access to healthcare all affect women’s overall health,” she said.
High medical costs and limited services, Moradi added, have also led to emotional and social distress, feelings of shame and declining self-confidence among women with spinal injuries.
