More than 53,000 centers have concluded contracts with Health Insurance Organization so far in the current year, IRNA quoted Keivan Tajbakhsh, an official with the Organization, as saying.

Health insurance contracts have been signed with government, non-government, private, and charity centers for services.

The centers include doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies, rehabilitation centers, and all medical centers.

“We hope to witness an increase in the number of health centers that are parties to the contract with Health Insurance Organization as new forms of the contract, approved by the Supreme Council of Insurance, are announced,” Tajbakhsh said.

He stated that 13,931 pharmacies, 20,804 doctor’s offices, 2,049 clinics 2,446 independent laboratories, and 4261 rehabilitation centers, both independent and affiliated with other organizations, have concluded contracts with the Health Insurance Organization.

Infertility treatment services

Health Insurance Organization offers a variety of services from medical equipment to medicine for infertile couples.

The services include 28 items of medical equipment, 56 laboratory services, 63 drugs for special diseases, 20 surgical services, four subspecialty treatments, and seven medical imaging services, Mohammad-Esmaeil Kameli, an official with the Organization, said.

He went on to say that about 90 percent of the treatment costs in government centers and 90 percent of the costs in other centers, including private, charitable, and non-governmental centers, are covered by Health Insurance.

Insured infertile couples, who have been registered in the Health Insurance system, can enjoy these services.

The health insurance organization covers nearly 45 million people in the country, of whom 12 million receive free health insurance coverage

Other significant services

Health Insurance Organization, together with the Ministry of Health, have provided important and significant services in different sectors.

Providing free insurance for low-income families, paying the medical expenses of infertile couples, providing services to the disabled, supporting patients with rare diseases, and providing services to foreign nationals are among the provided services so far, IRNA reported.

The government has adopted policies to identify uninsured people. In this regard, the Health Insurance Organization in cooperation and interaction with the Social Security Organization was assigned to identify uninsured people, who are often from the vulnerable groups of society.

Accordingly, some 90 percent of hospitalization costs and around 70 percent of outpatient treatment costs are covered by insurance.

In this regard, by allocating 50 trillion rials (about $100 million), 107 rare diseases are covered by the health insurance fund, and with the cooperation of universities, a lion’s share of treatment costs are paid by the government.

So far, more than 31 rare and special diseases, including high blood pressure, MS, type 2 diabetes, hemodialysis, thalassemia, kidney transplant, hemophilia, diabetic retinopathy, type 1 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and autism, have been identified in the system of the Health Insurance Organization.

Unfortunately, during the past years, many infertile couples who wanted a child avoided pursuing their problems due to the huge and staggering costs of treatment.

This is while paying attention to this important issue can help increase the young population, which is one of the most important and influential elements in the progress and development of the country.

With the support of the organization, infertile couples without insurance coverage, pregnant mothers, and their babies up to the age of 5 are covered by insurance.

All the indicators of health and treatment have made significant progress after the Islamic Revolution, and now Iran is one of the leading countries in this field.

Electronic health records have been set up so far for 98 percent of people in the country. One of the key features of an EHR is that health information can be created and managed by authorized providers in a digital format capable of being shared with other providers across more than one healthcare organization.

Iran has one of the strongest health systems in the region and this opportunity should be used optimally in the field of health diplomacy, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi has said.

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Their insurance contract will be renewed every year in the month of Esfand – the last Iranian calendar month ending on March 19, Fars quoted Jamshid Shayanfar, an official with the Health Insurance Organization of Iran, as saying.

He added, “The insurance premiums for these people are covered by the High Commissioner for Refugees, and the insurance premiums for about 60,000 citizens are paid to the health insurance organization based on the government budget.”

Shayanfar went on to say that around 800,000 non-vulnerable nationals also have to pay their own insurance premiums; once they pay the insurance premium, they will enjoy health insurance services for a year.

Some 12,000 non-vulnerable nationals have already been covered by health insurance, he concluded.

Insurance services for foreign nationals

Foreign nationals in Iran have citizenship rights and are subject to many protections, and one of the services provided to them is insurance.

In recent years, the number of insured foreign nationals has increased by 15 percent. Most of the insured are nationals of Afghanistan and China.

The long-term protections granted to insured persons include the retirement pension and the work-related disability pension.

Paying compensation for sick days, paying compensation for pregnancy, paying compensation for disability, and paying allowances are among other insurance services.

Foreign nationals who work in Iranian sports clubs as head coaches, trainers, assistant coaches, athletes, players, etc., are subject to compulsory insurance.

Also, foreign journalists in Iran can be covered by social security services without obtaining a work permit by submitting a confirmation from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

According to the law, people who have worked in hard and harmful jobs for at least 20 consecutive years and 25 alternate years can apply for a pension without an age requirement.

Male insured with at least 60 years of age and 10 years of insurance premium payment, or at least 50 years of age and 30 years of insurance premium payment, and female insured with at least 55 years of age and 10 years of insurance premium payment, or at least 45 years of age and 30 years of insurance premium payment can apply for a pension.

Up to 2,188 foreign nationals residing in Iran are currently receiving pensions from social security funds, ISNA reported.

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Providing free insurance for low-income families, paying the medical expenses of infertile couples, providing services to the disabled, supporting patients with rare diseases, and providing services to foreign nationals have been done in the past year, IRNA reported.

The government has adopted policies to identify uninsured people. In this regard, the Health Insurance Organization in cooperation and interaction with the Social Security Organization was assigned to identify uninsured people, who are often from the vulnerable groups of society.

Accordingly, some 90 percent of hospitalization costs and around 70 percent of outpatient treatment costs are covered by insurance.

In this regard, by allocating 50 trillion rials (about $100 million), 107 rare diseases are covered by the health insurance fund, and with the cooperation of universities, a lion’s share of treatment costs are paid by the government.

So far, more than 31 rare and special diseases, including high blood pressure, MS, type 2 diabetes, hemodialysis, thalassemia, kidney transplant, hemophilia, diabetic retinopathy, type 1 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and autism, have been identified in the system of the Health Insurance Organization.

Unfortunately, during the past years, many infertile couples who wanted a child avoided pursuing their problems due to the huge and staggering costs of treatment.

This is while paying attention to this important issue can help increase the young population, which is one of the most important and influential elements in the progress and development of the country.

With the support of the organization, infertile couples without insurance coverage, pregnant mothers, and their babies up to the age of 5 are covered by insurance.

All the indicators of health and treatment have made significant progress after the Islamic Revolution, and now Iran is one of the leading countries in this field.

Electronic health records have been set up so far for 98 percent of people in the country. One of the key features of an EHR is that health information can be created and managed by authorized providers in a digital format capable of being shared with other providers across more than one healthcare organization.

Iran has one of the strongest health systems in the region and this opportunity should be used optimally in the field of health diplomacy, Health Minister Bahram Einoullahi has said.

In June 2021, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, said the Islamic Republic of Iran is a role model for primary health care.

For the past four decades, its PHC network has aimed to ensure that people have timely access to affordable, accessible, and acceptable essential health services, he explained.

In October 2021, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Iran Jaffar Hussain, said that Iran’s health system can be a model for other countries in the region, especially in the field of health and the use of valuable forces such as healthcare providers.

The national budget bill for the current Iranian calendar year 1402, which started on March 21, has increased the health sector’s budget by 29 percent compared to the past year’s budget.

The bill has proposed a budget of 2,730 trillion rials (about $5.5 billion) for the Ministry of Health, IRNA reported.

The administration has also proposed 690 trillion rials (about $1.4 billion) as subsidies to provide medicine by health industries.

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He made the remarks in a meeting with Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, IRNA reported.

Some 20 million people in villages across the country are covered by the Health Insurance Fund and the government pays most of the treatment costs, Nasehi added.

A total of 250 trillion rials (around $600 million) has been proposed in the budget bill for the current Iranian calendar year (ending March 20) to support and treat patients with hard-to-treat diseases.

Rare diseases

According to the statistics published in 2019, the number of rare diseases identified in Iran has reached 332 types of diseases and about 4,750 people are covered by the Rare Diseases Foundation of Iran.

Out of a thousand population, 2 people get a rare disease, while the prevalence can be curbed by changing people’s culture, screening, identifying, preventing births, and raising awareness.

According to WHO, rare diseases are often serious, chronic, and life-threatening. The European Union (EU) definition of a rare disease is one that affects fewer than 5 in 10,000 people. At present, more than 6000 rare diseases are known; around 80 percent of them are genetic disorders and half of them occur during childhood.

Grouped together, rare diseases affect 6–8 percent (or about 30 million people) out of the 508 million population of EU countries. This roughly equals the estimated prevalence of diabetes in the World Health Organization European Region, which in 2013 was 6.8 percent of 658.7 million adults in the 20 to 79-year age group.

Rare diseases are associated with a high psychological burden for the patient but they can also have a major impact on a patient’s family. In addition to the health burden on patients, few of these diseases have effective drug treatment available.

The National Document on Rare Diseases has been approved in December 2020, with the aim of preventing the birth of infants with rare diseases and therapeutic problems.

Patients with rare diseases launched and signed a petition calling for drawing up a national document on rare diseases on the occasion of Rare Disease Day, February 28, 2019.

The main vision of this document is to prevent the birth of infants with rare diseases and to solve the medical and therapeutic problems of rare patients in the country.

Improving health indices

All the indicators of health and treatment have made significant progress after the Islamic Revolution, and now Iran is one of the leading countries in this field, the deputy health minister has said.

Health is one of the areas that got a good jump after the Islamic Revolution, ISNA quoted Saeed Karimi as saying.

It should be noted that in the early years of the Revolution, even for a cataract, which is a routine ophthalmic operation, the patient was sent abroad, but now patients from abroad come to Iran for the most advanced surgeries, he highlighted.

“At the beginning of the Revolution, there were just 56,000 hospital beds, but now we have 156,000 hospital beds,” he noted.

Meanwhile, there were just seven thousand specialists, but now there are 70 thousand specialists and sub-specialists in the country, he added.

Therefore, the health indicators after the victory of the Islamic Revolution cannot be compared with the conditions before the Revolution, Karimi said, adding that although 40 years have passed, many countries have not found such a leap in their healthcare.

Iran has one of the strongest health systems in the region and this opportunity should be used optimally in the field of health diplomacy, Health Minister Bahram Einoullahi has said.

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Each year on 12 December, Universal Health Coverage Day marks the date to call on leaders to make smarter investments and accelerate efforts towards “Health for All”.

Universal health coverage (UHC) lifts people out of poverty, promotes the well-being of families and communities, protects against public health crises, and moves us toward health for all. This year’s theme emphasizes that in order to build strong health systems we need equity, trust, healthy environments, investments, and accountability.

UHC Day is an opportunity to celebrate progress and raise awareness for what is required to deliver essential health care for families and communities everywhere.

In the past two decades, the UHC service coverage index in the Western Pacific Region, which marks progress in increasing access to essential health services, has increased from 49 in 2000 to 80 in 2019. However, inequities in service coverage and financial hardship exist in many countries, especially among vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations.

Iran’s measures towards UHC

Iran’s universal public health insurance scheme, known as Salamat Health Insurance, covers hospitalization, para-clinical and outpatient services, including doctor’s visits, radiology, lab tests, and medication costs at any public hospital affiliated with the Ministry of Health.

Iran has taken steps to provide health coverage for the whole population, in addition to the refugees. Even during the outbreak of the coronavirus, the country has provided treatment services and vaccination to foreign nationals just like Iranians.

Each year on 12 December, Universal Health Coverage Day marks the date to call on leaders to make smarter investments and accelerate efforts towards “Health for All”. Some 170,000 refugees residing in Iran are now covered by health insurance, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Iran has also gone far to establish a Primary Health Care (PHC) system in 1981, now covering a population of approximately 82 million rural and urban residents, which is considered a great step towards universal health coverage, Mohammad Hossein Nicknam, Immunologist in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, told the Tehran Times in 2020.

“Currently, over 17,800 Health Houses are providing services to 28 million villagers nationwide, with a workforce of 31,000, he highlighted, adding, 6,642 family physicians and 5,852 rural midwives are working in 2,794 comprehensive rural health care centers.

Therefore, 98 percent of the country’s rural population is covered by the PHC system,” he noted.

Pointing out that 93 percent of the urban residents are covered by the health networks in the country, he said that 3,987 physicians and 1,2032 health care providers (dentists, nurses, midwives, and health professionals in the fields of environmental health, nutrition, mental health, etc.) provide services to 54 million people,” he also explained.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that “easy access to healthcare services along with lowering public spending on healthcare services are the two main requirements of an efficient health network, as emphasized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its 2008 report.

Ensuring universal health coverage (UHC) without impoverishment is the foundation for achieving the health objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); so the WHO has set a theme of “Health for all” for two years.

Although UHC was at the center of attention, PHC was the path to its achievement.”

Principles of the PHC network in the country are fully in line with the recommendations of WHO, he stated, highlighting, WHO experts consider Iran’s PHC system as a good model for other countries to follow.

On many different occasions, authorities and experts of WHO and other health-related agencies have admired our PHC system, he further added.

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Iran’s universal public health insurance scheme, known as Salamat Health Insurance, covers hospitalization, para-clinical and outpatient services, including doctor’s visits, radiology, lab tests, and medication costs at any public hospital affiliated with the Ministry of Health.

It seems that 4 to 5 million foreign nationals are not under the coverage of any health insurance because they entered the country through unofficial bases, Jafar Rahimi, deputy director of the Health Insurance Organization, said.

Vulnerable refugees with the support of the UNHCR and Iran are insured free of charge. However, those who are financially able should pay their insurance premiums, he stated, IRINN reported on Thursday.

Over 2 trillion rials (nearly $7.5 million) have been spent to provide insurance to foreign nationals this year, he further concluded.

World’s fourth-largest refugee community

Iran is hosting the world’s fourth-largest refugee community. The country has generously hosted approximately 1 million refugees for the past 30 years. The majority, which mainly came from Afghanistan and Iraq, live in urban areas. Approximately 31,000 of the most vulnerable refugees are living in 20 settlements located throughout the country.

Based on the latest statistics, over 3 million Afghans are living in Iran – some 780,000 Afghan refugees, over 2 million undocumented Afghans, and another 600,000 Afghan passport-holders with Iranian visas.

The recent fast-paced turn of events in Afghanistan has the potential to create additional population movements; displacing families internally and potentially driving them to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

It is estimated that up to 300,000 Afghan asylum-seekers have fled to Iran this year alone in search of safety, while UNHCR has only been able to screen some 24,000 newly arrived Afghans for protection needs.

However, in light of the pandemic, all refugees, even those undocumented, benefited from access to free primary health services and free COVID-19 related testing, treatment, and hospitalization, just like Iranian nationals.

The same happened for the vaccination when the country has generously considered refugees for vaccination against coronavirus.

In Iran, UNHCR is seeking $16.2 million for its COVID-19 emergency, while requires an additional $98.7 million to support Iran in maintaining and sustaining its commendable inclusive refugee policies, under the umbrella of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR).

António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has praised Iran’s generosity which – for decades – has hosted millions of Afghans in need.

“At this moment, we need the global community to put their hands on the wheel of progress, provide resources, and prevent Afghanistan from spiraling any further.

I will never forget the generosity of countries like Pakistan and Iran, which – for decades – have hosted millions of Afghans in need,” Guterres said in a statement released on January 26 to the Security Council on Afghanistan.

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