PROFESSIONAL EVENTS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OFADDICTION MEDICINE CONGRESS
How Dundee’s ‘biggest-ever’ conference overcame a diplomatic obstacle
Fifteen Iranian experts were due to attend the International Society of Addiction Medicine congress. Ten the Home Office got involved.
BY KEVIN O’SULLIVAN T
echnology came to the rescue for a group of 15 Iranian academics who were denied access to an international conference in
Dundee – in case they tried to stay and ‘claim benefits’. Te group of university researchers
and clinicians had been due to attend the International Society of Addic-
tion Medicine’s annual congress in the city last month. But the Home Office stepped in to deny the aca- demics a travel visa because of the risk they might lodge applications to try and stay in the UK. Dr Alex Baldachinno, an addiction
medicine specialist who organised the conference, at the city’s Caird Hall venue from October 5 to 8, said: “What they wanted to know was ‘are they going to apply for benefits’ because the salaries are very low in Tehran.” When asked if it was feared they
might also try and claim political asylum in the UK, Dr Baldachinno added: “Yes, but it was silly because these were professors and interna- tionally leading addiction medicine specialists. It was 15 academics and clinicians; they even had affiliate
membership with American univer- sities. Teir abstract was accepted for scientific quality; two people had fellowships.” Dr Baldachinno, who is Professor
of Medicine, Psychiatry and Addic- tions at St Andrews University, wrote a letter of support and worked with colleagues at Dundee University to seek permission for them to travel. But he added: “Essentially we were
told there was nothing much one could do from this side. It was the decision of the British embassy in Turkey, in Istanbul.” He said Tehran is only able to apply for diplomatic visas for entry into Britain and the British Embassy in Istanbul handles applications on behalf of Iranian na- tionals, with Home Office oversight. However, thanks to event organiser Stark Events and a local IT company,
the Iranian delegation were able to log on via a simple Skype connection and take part in the conference. “At one stage I thought the Iranian
bit of the broadband wasn’t going to work that well but thankfully we tested the technology and it was great. Te Iranian delegates were very thankful to be part of it. I got emails thanking me for the fact we persevered and sad that politics over- took the science, but I didn’t want to get into the politics.” Although Britain reopened its
embassy in Tehran in August – as a sign of warming relations following a détente between the US and Iran over its nuclear programme – sanc- tions are still to be rolled back. For his part Dr Baldachinno was
instrumental in bringing the an- nual event to Dundee, putting in a
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