Iranians shocked by physician’s death

The killing of a prominent Iranian subspecialist in hematology and oncology, Asghar Pirzadeh, has caused profound grief among the Iranian people, particularly physicians.

Pirzadeh was stabbed to death reportedly by a 23-year-old boy in the northwestern Iranian city of Ardebil on Thursday.

An investigation is underway into the possible reasons behind the incident; however, there are contradictory reports on Pirzadeh’s murder.

A spokesman for Iran’s Health Ministry, Abbas Zarenejad, told IRNA on Friday that the ministry dispatched a team to Ardebil immediately after the murder to probe the case.

According to a report by Ardebil’s Public Prosecutor Nasser Atabati, a personal motive was behind Pirzadeh’s killing, and that the physician was not killed because of a row between him and a patient’s relatives.

The public prosecutor announced earlier that police had arrested the murderer, saying further investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.

He vowed a serious probe into the case and said the results would be announced at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Chancellor of the Ardebil University of Medical Sciences Farhad Pourfarzi told reporters on Friday that the incident took place in a home and noted that the doctor’s wounded body was then transferred to a local hospital where he succumbed to death.

Pirzadeh was laid to rest on Friday in a funeral attended by members of the general public and the medical community as well as officials.