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TEHRAN (Iran News) –The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the Family Health Project as an Iranian initiative that can help upgrade healthcare within societies across the world.

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Hosted by the Ministry of Traditional Medicine of India in New Delhi, ICD-11 traditional medicine module 2 was launched on January 10 in the presence of senior officials of the World Health Organization and representatives of countries including Iran, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Malaysia, Mauritius, Indonesia, England, Philippines, and South Africa.

“As one of the participants, Iran has played an active role in compiling traditional medicine module 2. The country has also held several meetings with WHO’s experts and other participating countries,” IRNA quoted Nafiseh Hosseini-Yekta, the director of the health ministry’s Persian medicine office, as saying.

Stating that this project started in 2020, she went on to say, “Despite all opposition and many problems, after 4 years of bilateral and multilateral negotiations, as well as employing effective scientific diplomacy in expert and decision-making meetings, traditional Persian medicine codes in Module 2 of International Classification of ICD 11 traditional medicine were accepted, which is a great achievement in the global expansion of Iranian medicine, Hossini-Yekta added.

Meanwhile, Arman Zargaran, the advisor to the health ministry’s traditional medicine office, stated that once ICD11 is in effect, all Iranian medical disease codes in hospitals and medical centers can be used.

ICD

ICD serves a broad range of uses globally and provides critical knowledge on the extent, causes, and consequences of human disease and death worldwide via data that is reported and coded with the ICD.

Clinical terms coded with ICD are the main basis for health recording and statistics on disease in primary, secondary, and tertiary care, as well as on cause of death certificates.

These data and statistics support payment systems, service planning, administration of quality and safety, and health services research. Diagnostic guidance linked to categories of ICD also standardizes data collection and enables large-scale research.

ICD provides a common language that allows health professionals to share standardized information across the world. The eleventh revision contains around 17,000 unique codes, and more than 120,000 codable terms and is now entirely digital.

All Member States are encouraged to follow their commitment to move on to ICD-11 documented with their approval of ICD-11 at the 72nd meeting of the World Health Assembly in 2019, and use the most current version of ICD for recording and reporting mortality and morbidity statistics both nationally and internationally.

Current implemented uses of ICD-11 include causes of death, primary care, cancer registration, patient safety, dermatology, pain documentation, allergology, reimbursement, clinical documentation, data dictionaries for WHO guidelines, digital documentation of COVID-19 vaccination status and test results, and more.

As a classification and terminology, ICD-11 allows the systematic recording, analysis, interpretation, and comparison of mortality and morbidity data collected in different countries or regions and at different times.

It also ensures semantic interoperability and reusability of recorded data for the different use cases beyond mere health statistics, including decision support, resource allocation, reimbursement, guidelines, and more.

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The event took place from November 27- 30 in Geneva, Switzerland, IRIB reported.

Arman Zargaran, Iran’s advisor to the traditional medicine office at the Ministry of Health, participated in the event at the invitation of the WHO headquarters in Geneva.

The International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines Unit of WHO, WHO-IRCH, invited 20 experts in the field of traditional medicine from all over the world to develop a draft of traditional medicine strategy for the period 2025-2034.

The invited experts were from China (3 representatives), Australia, Canada, Switzerland, (2 representatives each), Iran, Malaysia, England, South Korea, South Africa, Ghana, Norway, Thailand, Philippines, Brazil, and India (1 representative each).

Within 3 days of intensive work, the entire initial draft was reviewed in the presence of Rudi Eggers, WHO Director of Integrated Health Services, and Kim Sungchol, head of the WHO Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit.

The rest of the work will be carried out remotely by the volunteer representatives after the end of the sessions based on the determined issues.

Zargaran assessed the level of the meetings as very high and the discussed topics of fundamental importance for the future integration of traditional medicine in the health system of the member countries of the World Health Organization.

He also considered the presence of Iran in this meeting as the only representative from West Asia to be important both from the point of view of Iran’s global reputation in traditional medicine and also as a unique opportunity to apply the viewpoints of Iran and Iranian medicine in preparing the most important universal draft of traditional medicine strategy.

It should be noted that WHO’s current document of traditional medicine strategy (2014-2023) has been extended until 2025, and the document being written will be reviewed for approval after its finalization in the upcoming General Assembly of the World Health Organization.

Iran holds 40% share of regional market

Iran holds some 40 percent share of the market for medicinal plants in the neighboring countries, an official with the Ministry of Health said on October 31.

“A large volume of pharmaceuticals, supplements, food products, and beverages are exported to Iraq, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Afghanistan,” IRNA quoted Hamidreza Banafsheh as saying.

Iran is among the leading countries in the field of medicine and health technology, supplying 98 percent of pharmaceutical items to the domestic market, the official noted.

“Nearly 450 out of 1,400 knowledge-based companies are active in the field of herbal medicines, biotechnology, and food industries.”

He went on to say that the National Institute for Medical Research Development aims at expanding exports of medicinal products.

Since most of the raw materials for the production of herbal medicines are native to the country, these products can internationally compete with those of the other countries, he added.

Besides, some 15 to 20 percent of Iran’s herbal medicines are unique in the world. Iran has the capacity to introduce new herbal medicines to the world, he highlighted.

Producing and commercializing pharmaceutical plants are the best ways to introduce the rich resources of herbal medicines which, in addition to making foreign currency revenues for the country, will lead to the scientific authority of Iran in this field, he concluded.

Medicinal plant exports can be increased

According to the chairman of the Union of Medicinal Plants Exporters of Iran, the country’s export of medicinal plants can be increased through meeting world standards.

Mohammad-Ali Rezaei Kamal-Abad stated that world standards are increasing due to the health-oriented consumption of herbal products, and failure to comply with these standards will lead to the return or destruction of these products.

“In the past years, poisons have entered the country, which is not only not used in other countries, but has also caused water and soil pollution in our country”, he lamented.

Referring to the importance of agricultural product export standardization, he added: “Standardization is done in our country, but this standardization is not up-to-date. With the coordination of ministries, expenditure and updating of information can help to standardize agricultural products and develop the export of these products”, he commented.

He said that having more than 11 climates out of 13 climates, Iran has 8,000 varieties of medicinal plants, which is at least twice as much as Europe.

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The event is planned to take place in Cairo, Egypt, from October 9 to 12, with the theme of ‘United for a healthier future’.

The minister is scheduled to deliver a speech on regional health issues as well as achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of health despite sanctions.

On Tuesday, an election will be held for the position of director of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization. Ali Akbari-Sari from Iran is among the nominees.

Also on Wednesday, the Kuwait government award for the control of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean region will be presented to Afshin Ostovar, the head of the Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Iran enhances regional health security 

On May 12, Syed Jaffar Hussain, the World Health Organization Representative and Head of Mission in Iran, appreciated Iran for its efforts to enhance health security in the region.

The WHO representative also thanked Iran for holding the 26th G5 High-Level Experts Meeting on Health Cooperation and the 1st Healthcare Leadership and Governance Training Program, IRNA reported.

G5 countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, plus the World Health Organization) took part in the meetings from May 6 to 10 with the theme of “Joint Work for Solving Joint Health Problems.”

Addressing the opening ceremony, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi referred to the unity and cooperation of the countries in the fields of health, treatment, and medical education as a historical necessity.

Achieving, maintaining, and promoting health is never possible in a regional way and does not happen in an isolated region, but requires the cooperation of countries, especially neighboring countries, he stressed.

“To develop health in the countries of the group of five, we must look at health collectively and think about creating and promoting health in all countries.

The health sector of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan is tied to each other. Today, with the relations and cooperation that exist in different sectors between the countries and neighbors, a disease is capable of penetrating all countries.”

“Therefore, our unity and cooperation is a historical necessity so that the health indicators in the region can be improved and brought to the ideal point,” the minister reiterated.

He went on to say that conditions should be provided so that professors, students, and scientists can easily communicate with each other and travel to each other’s countries without hindrance and hold joint scientific conferences.

“Many incidents have happened in the region, such as this year’s huge earthquake in Turkey and last year’s flood in Pakistan, which unfortunately left many damages and deaths. These bitter incidents show the need for joint cooperation to help each other.”

Health is the common link of the countries of the region and it can cause the unity and development of the cooperation of the G5 countries and also a prelude to the development of the health economy, he added.

“Iran has achieved many successes in the field of knowledge-based companies and is able to provide 99 percent of its pharmaceutical needs and 40 percent of its advanced medical equipment needs.”

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The state-of-the-art 1.5-Tesla MRI scanners will be installed in hospitals identified by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, according to the WHO website.

A total of 6 MRI machines will be delivered through the implementation of this project. The first 3 machines arrived at target hospitals, namely, Kosar Hospital in Semnan, Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord, and Pasteur Hospital in Bam.

The installation process started immediately and will be completed in the next few weeks. Two other machines, destined for 12 Farvardin Hospital in Kahnooj and Imam Ali Hospital of Andimeshk, are scheduled to arrive by 21 June.

The sixth machine will arrive by 7 July and will be delivered to Shohada Hospital in Neyriz.

“Previously there were only 2 MRI machines in Shahrekord, one in a public hospital and one in a private imaging center,” said Dr Neda Seyfi, Head of Hajar Hospital.

“The addition of the new machine will increase the capacity of the public sector in providing affordable diagnostic services to both the people of Shahrekord and adjacent towns.”

The Chancellor of Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Dr Kamran Qods said, “Semnan University of Medical Sciences provides health care to about 70% of the province’s population, yet the lack of an MRI machine was the missing link in the chain of our health services.

With this machine provided thanks to the People of Japan, the people of the province will have access to affordable MRI services.”

MRI is a noninvasive imaging technology with a broad spectrum of clinical applications in the detection and diagnosis of various conditions, as well as treatment monitoring.

The machines provided within this humanitarian project will increase the capacity of the national health system for the diagnosis of diseases.

WHO appreciates Iran

Syed Jaffar Hussain, the World Health Organization Representative and Head of Mission in Iran has appreciated the country for its efforts to enhance health security in the region.

The WHO representative also thanked Iran for holding the 26th G5 High-Level Experts Meeting on Health Cooperation and the 1st Healthcare Leadership and Governance Training Program, IRNA reported.

G5 countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, plus the World Health Organization) took part in the meetings from May 6-10 with the theme of “Joint Work for Solving Joint Health Problems.”

Addressing the opening ceremony, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi referred to the unity and cooperation of the countries in the fields of health, treatment, and medical education as a historical necessity.

Achieving, maintaining, and promoting health is never possible in a regional way and does not happen in an isolated region, but requires the cooperation of countries, especially neighboring countries, he stressed.

“To develop health in the countries of the group of five, we must look at health collectively and think about creating and promoting health in all countries.

The health sector of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan is tied to each other. Today, with the relations and cooperation that exist in different sectors between the countries and neighbors, a disease is capable of penetrating all countries.”

“Therefore, our unity and cooperation is a historical necessity so that the health indicators in the region can be improved and brought to the ideal point,” the minister reiterated.

He went on to say that conditions should be provided so that professors, students, and scientists can easily communicate with each other and travel to each other’s countries without hindrance and hold joint scientific conferences.

“Many incidents have happened in the region, such as this year’s huge earthquake in Turkey and last year’s flood in Pakistan, which unfortunately left many damages and deaths. These bitter incidents show the need for joint cooperation to help each other.”

Health is the common link of the countries of the region and it can cause the unity and development of the cooperation of the G5 countries and also a prelude to the development of the health economy, he added.

“Iran has achieved many successes in the field of knowledge-based companies and is able to provide 99 percent of its pharmaceutical needs and 40 percent of its advanced medical equipment needs.

So, the country can provide the G5 with its experiences.”

Einollahi pointed out that the group of five has an exceptional position due to being located in a strategic area, and the formation of this group can be a model for other countries.

One of the major problems of the G5 countries today is management in the field of health, which requires the creation of an up-to-date mechanism because management is the most important element in promoting health in the countries of the group of five.

“Unfortunately, in a situation where the death rate of infectious diseases has reached zero in developed countries, we are witnessing the high prevalence and death rate of these diseases in some countries of the region, which imposes a great cost on the countries of the group of five.”

“In order to prevent the spread and control of communicable diseases, we should have joint and strong cooperation, and Iran is sincerely ready to cooperate with the countries of the region in this field,” he concluded.

Iran initiated the establishment of the G5 in 2005 to promote subregional cooperation in health among the group of four countries – Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan – plus the World Health Organization as the fifth member of this group to provide technical support in improving this collaboration.

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The WHO representative also thanked Iran for holding the 26th G5 High-Level Experts Meeting on Health Cooperation and the 1st Healthcare Leadership and Governance Training Program, IRNA reported.

G5 countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, plus the World Health Organization) took part in the meetings from May 6-10 with the theme of “Joint Work for Solving Joint Health Problems.”

Addressing the opening ceremony, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi referred to the unity and cooperation of the countries in the fields of health, treatment, and medical education as a historical necessity.

Achieving, maintaining, and promoting health is never possible in a regional way and does not happen in an isolated region, but requires the cooperation of countries, especially neighboring countries, he stressed.

“To develop health in the countries of the group of five, we must look at health collectively and think about creating and promoting health in all countries.

The health sector of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan is tied to each other. Today, with the relations and cooperation that exist in different sectors between the countries and neighbors, a disease is capable of penetrating all countries.”

“Therefore, our unity and cooperation is a historical necessity so that the health indicators in the region can be improved and brought to the ideal point,” the minister reiterated.

He went on to say that conditions should be provided so that professors, students, and scientists can easily communicate with each other and travel to each other’s countries without hindrance and hold joint scientific conferences.

“Many incidents have happened in the region, such as this year’s huge earthquake in Turkey and last year’s flood in Pakistan, which unfortunately left many damages and deaths. These bitter incidents show the need for joint cooperation to help each other.”

Health is the common link of the countries of the region and it can cause the unity and development of the cooperation of the G5 countries and also a prelude to the development of the health economy, he added.

“Iran has achieved many successes in the field of knowledge-based companies and is able to provide 99 percent of its pharmaceutical needs and 40 percent of its advanced medical equipment needs.

So, the country can provide the G5 with its experiences.”

Einollahi pointed out that the group of five has an exceptional position due to being located in a strategic area, and the formation of this group can be a model for other countries.

One of the major problems of the G5 countries today is management in the field of health, which requires the creation of an up-to-date mechanism because management is the most important element in promoting health in the countries of the group of five.

“Unfortunately, in a situation where the death rate of infectious diseases has reached zero in developed countries, we are witnessing the high prevalence and death rate of these diseases in some countries of the region, which imposes a great cost on the countries of the group of five.”

“In order to prevent the spread and control of communicable diseases, we should have joint and strong cooperation, and Iran is sincerely ready to cooperate with the countries of the region in this field,” he concluded.

Iran initiated the establishment of the G5 in 2005 to promote subregional cooperation in health among the group of four countries – Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan – plus the World Health Organization as the fifth member of this group to provide technical support in improving this collaboration.

Several activities have already been taken under this initiative, with the Islamic Republic of Iran taking responsibility for serving as its secretariat.

The first subregional workshop for G5 countries on health system strengthening was hosted by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination of Pakistan on November 19–20, 2013 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Exchanging experiences on issues related to moving towards universal health coverage; developing national roadmaps and strategies for improving service delivery, population coverage, and financial risk protection; assisting each other in health workforce capacity development activities, health system research, national health accounts, and policy development; developing measurable indicators related to three dimensions of universal health coverage were among the goals of this two-day meeting.

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He made the remarks at the meeting on “improving energy consumption in the healthcare sector in response to climate change” which was held at the Ministry of Health on Tuesday and attended by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

The government of Iran, in cooperation with us and UNIDO, is carrying out a joint project about the results of weather and climate change in the field of health, which fortunately has made good progress so far, Hussain further stated.

Iran has adhered to its global commitment to reduce its carbon footprint in the medium and long term.Stating that this project is being piloted in Golestan and Kohgiluyeh-Boyer Ahmad provinces, he said that a workshop on the same topic was held in Golestan province not long ago, showing the effective efforts.

The Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres and the Director of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in their latest joint announcement regarding climate change, emphasized giving serious attention to issues such as air pollution and water contamination as consequences of climate change, he explained.

Iran has conducted quality studies in the field of environmental health and work based on the effects of the environment on health, which is considered one of the most reliable studies in the world in this field, he also highlighted, referring to the lack of such projects in other countries.

Attention to the social components affecting health in all sectors will help to take efficient steps toward tackling climate change. Fortunately, Iran has adhered to its global commitment to reduce its carbon footprint in the medium and long term, he also said.

Pointing to the complications of Iran’s international relations due to sanctions, he noted that despite such problems, Iran has shown its commitment to carry out a joint project with the WHO and UNIDO, and this is the best service that can be provided in line with the health development.

 Climate change and health hazards

According to a report by WHO, Iran is amongst the most vulnerable countries to climate change due to its geographic, economic, and climatic characteristics. For instance, a large area of the country is susceptible to floods, while changing trends in precipitation have also led to droughts and forest fires.

Climate change increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events including drought and floods. Rising sea levels can lead to storm surges, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion of groundwater aquifers, and ecosystem disruption. These events can lead to population displacement and affect water and sanitation infrastructure and services, contaminating water with fecal bacteria (e.g. E. coli, salmonella) from runoff or sewer overflow. Increasing temperatures and precipitation can also lead to water contaminated with Vibrio bacteria or algae blooms.

Water resources are expected to be less reliable in the future in Iran, with an observed 50 percent decrease in surface runoff (and consequential reductions in water availability) and flood occurrence potentially increasing by around 52 percent.

Climate change will worsen such trends; by 2030, there is a projected further 25 percent decrease in surface water runoff in Iran.

Ambient air pollution can have direct and sometimes severe consequences for health. Fine particles, which penetrate deep into the respiratory tract, subsequently increase mortality from respiratory infections, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Sand and dust storms have severe impacts on human health, by increasing particulate matter and carrying harmful substances and pathogens, all of which contribute to air pollution and associated respiratory problems.

Furthermore, sand and dust storms increase desertification, drought, and soil salinity, as well as decrease water resources. This has severe implications for people’s livelihoods as well as their health, with agricultural land being particularly badly affected. There has been an observed increase in the frequency and severity of sand and dust storms globally. This is expected to worsen with climate change and be further exacerbated by drought, land degradation, and unsustainable land and water management.

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During the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) meeting which was held in Amman, Jordan, from October 18-20, Iran was introduced as a role model for the region and the world for controlling obesity.

With the theme of “WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity”, participants discussed long-term goals, challenges, and priorities and exchanged experiences in this regard.

Deputy health minister Ahmad Esmaeilzadeh represented Iran. He briefed the audience on measures adopted by the ministry of health to control and reduce the obesity rate.

Iran is one of the few countries that has integrated nutrition services into the country’s health system to control obesity and provides the necessary intervention and services for this purpose, and this program was welcomed by the officials of the World Health Organization.

Obesity worldwide

Obesity is a disease impacting most body systems. It affects the heart, liver, kidneys, joints, and reproductive system.

Iran is one of the few countries that has integrated nutrition services into the country’s health system to control obesity.It leads to a range of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, various forms of cancer, as well as mental health issues.

People with obesity are also three times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19.

In 2021, obesity accounted for approximately 2.8 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory diseases, and digestive disorders.

Halting the rise in obesity is essential to combat the growing burden of NCDs and improve health and well-being for all, according to WHO.

Stopping the growing obesity epidemic is one of the 2025 Global Nutrition Targets (for children under 5) and one of the Targets for NCD reduction (for adolescents and adults).

Without addressing obesity, it is not going to be possible to achieve a 30% reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2030, one of the key targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Currently, no country is on track to meet these targets and the costs of obesity and obesity-related diseases continue to rise.

Global costs are reaching $990 billion per year, which accounts for over 13% of all healthcare expenditures.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the urgency to act, revealing that people who suffer from obesity experience a four-fold increased risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Acceleration Plan

The Acceleration Plan identifies priority actions, describes how countries can act, how WHO and partners will advocate for action, how to engage partners and create a global mobilization and how to monitor progress.

The plan aims to (a) increase the number of countries implementing effective policies to address the prevention and management of obesity; (b) improve policy efficiency and coverage and expanded access to obesity prevention and management services, and (c) reverse the trend in obesity rates in the first group of committed frontrunner countries in the next few years.

More than 1 billion people worldwide are obese – 650 million adults, 340 million adolescents, and 39 million children. This number is still increasing. WHO estimates that by 2025, approximately 167 million people – adults and children – will become less healthy because they are overweight or obese.

World Obesity Day

On the occasion of World Obesity Day 2022, March 4, WHO urged countries to do more to reverse this predictable and preventable health crisis.

The key to preventing obesity is to act early, ideally even before a baby is conceived. Good nutrition in pregnancy, followed by exclusive breastfeeding until the age of 6 months and continued breastfeeding until 2 years and beyond, is best for all infants and young children.

At the same time, countries need to work together to create a better food environment so that everyone can access and afford a healthy diet.

Effective steps include restricting the marketing to children of food and drinks high in fats, sugar, and salt, taxing sugary drinks, and providing better access to affordable, healthy food.

Cities and towns need to make space for safe walking, cycling, and recreation, and schools need to help households teach children healthy habits from early on.

MG

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