Sole Iran woman minister sacked

27 December 2012 Last updated at 15:59 GMT Ms Dastjerdi was the first woman minister in the 30-year history of the Islamic republic Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sacked Health Minister Marziyeh Vahid Dastjerdi, the sole woman in his cabinet, state television reports.

Ms Dastjerdi was also the first woman minister in the 30-year history of the Islamic republic.

While no reason has been given, the dismissal is being linked to her call for drug price rises to fight shortages caused by international sanctions.

Mr Ahmadinejad rejected her comments, saying her budget needs had been met.

'Inevitable' price rise

Analysts say international sanctions have done significant damage to the Islamic republic's economy and led to a steep currency plunge.

Although they do not directly target medicines, they limit their importation because of restrictions on financial transactions.

Prior to her dismissal, Ms Dastjerdi said that because of the rise in the foreign exchange rate, there would be an inevitable increase in the price of medicine.

She complained of her department's inability to get access to foreign currency she had been promised.

"In the first half of the current year, the Central Bank has not allocated any exchange for the import of drugs and medical equipment," she said.

"We need $2.5bn (£1.6bn) in foreign exchange to meet the needs of the medical sector for the year, but only $650m has been earmarked."

But President Ahmadinejad said in a TV interview that enough money had been allocated to the health ministry.

"No-one has the right to raise the price of medicine," he added.

Mohammad Hassan Tariqat Monfared has been appointed as interim health minister, the Reuters news agency reports.

The EU and US recently announced new sanctions over Iran's nuclear plans.

They suspect Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, something it denies.

Ms Dastjerdi was the first woman minister of the Islamic republic, although a woman did serve as vice-president for the environment under Mohammad Khatami.

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Woman given smoker's lungs dies

17 December 2012 Last updated at 21:36 GMT Jennifer died in August, 16 months after receiving a donor's lungs A 27-year-old woman with cystic fibrosis died of cancer after she was given the donor lungs of a smoker.

Jennifer Wederell, of Hawkwell, Essex, died at home in August - 16 months after the transplant at Harefield Hospital in London.

Colin Grannell said he believes his daughter would not have agreed to the transplant had she known the middle-aged donor was a heavy smoker.

The hospital has apologised for not giving her that choice.

Jennifer had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of two and by her mid-20s was using oxygen 24 hours a day.

She had been on the waiting list for a lung transplant for 18 months when in April 2011, she was told there had been a match.

Mr Grannell said the family had "lived all for that moment" for years, and thought it would help Jennifer "cheat" her condition.

She married her fiance David Wederell in September last year, but by February 2012 a malignant mass was found in her lungs.

'Should have choice'

"The shock immediately turned to anger in so far as all the risks were explained in the hour before her transplant and not once was the fact smoker's lungs would be used mentioned," said Mr Grannell.

"She was dying a death that was meant for someone else."

Colin Grannell said his daughter died someone else's death

He has set up a Facebook group, Jennifer's Choice, to encourage non-smokers to sign up to the organ donor register.

The Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust said: "It is very rare for patients to specify that they do not wish to be considered for clinically healthy lungs from smokers.

"This is because the risks are much higher if patients decline donor lungs from a former smoker, and decide to wait for another set of organs which are both a match for them and from a non-smoker, to become available.

"However, we recognise that Jennifer should have been given the opportunity to make this choice.

"We have apologised sincerely for this oversight.

"Regrettably, the number of lungs available for transplantation would fall by 40% if there was a policy of refusing those which have come from a smoker; waiting lists would increase and many more patients would die without a transplant."

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