Priorities of the Ministry of Health for the next four years

Seyed Hassan Hashemi , MD, and the new minster of health explained the priorities of the Ministry of Health (MOH) for the next five years. Meeting the needs for [essential] pharmaceuticals is the first and the foremost first task of the MOH he stated. He acknowledged the unmet needs of patients with hard-to-treat conditions. Establishing a single payer system is what MOH will accomplish as its most important mission in the coming four-year term according to him. Improving and expanding the family physician network was what Dr. Hashemi described as a parallel important plan for the MOH.

My comment: It seems that essential drug supply is the right immediate mission for the MOH. Single payer system helps integrate the medical care in Iran. This is doable because less than 2% of the health insurance coverage is provided by private medical insurances. Family physician network is essential as well but is a rather difficult task to accomplish. With more than 90% of outpatient care being in private sector enforcing the referral guidelines and managing the provider payment system is quite challenging.

Source: It's an interview in Farsi posted on youtube :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=c4-overview&v=5AEgpDjaoOw&list=UUI01l6WXUWeKEpaNJD3x6fQ&desktop_uri=/watch?v=5AEgpDjaoOw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUI01l6WXUWeKEpaNJD3x6fQ&nomobile=1