Authors : Mohammad Jafari Sirizi, Vahid Yazdi Fiezabadi and Ashot S. Aleksanyan
Abstract: To execute future policies, it is essential to analyzing health policies to recognize its success and probable failures. Various policies have been made and legislated in health area over the past years and have surely caused significant changes in health condition of the society. In this study, results, future challenges and guidelines of major policies in health area in Iran have been examined during past 30 years. This qualitative, document-exploring based study has analyzed major policies, retrospectively. We used centralized group discussions and deep half-structured interviews with provincial and state policy makers. Policymakers were selected using Snow ball method. Results were presented in terms of descriptions, results, consequences, future challenges and probable guidelines regarding major policies. Six major policies were selected, using the criteria expansion, time, focus level and subject of policy (after judgment of elites). These policies include: establishing health and treatment networks based on PHC population control; developing health education integrated with ministry of health; establishing family physician and referral system; autonomy and board of trustee in hospitals and execution of the act on public medical services insurance. Regarding special indexes, all policies had desirable results except for the autonomy and board of trustee. Findings and interviews show that in spite of some periodic shortcomings in some policies, like hospitals autonomy generally, all the six major policies have been studied and some good and suitable progresses would be achieved. In other words according to studies, approved in 4th and 5th development scheme of Iran, it is shown that policymakers and legislators have paid more attention to this issue. Thus, major policies increased the health indexes and improved the position among other countries. Thus, WHO announced that Iran has achieved the 98th rank among 182 countries.
Mohammad Jafari Sirizi, Vahid Yazdi Fiezabadi and Ashot S. Aleksanyan, 2010. Major Policies in Health Area in Islamic Republic of Iran During Past 30 Years: Results, Challenges and Strategies. Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 5: 683-691.