TEHRAN – The cruel U.S. sanctions and global arrogance against Iran did not hinder the country's success in controlling the coronavirus, as people rushed to the aid of the health system, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi has said.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the Secretary-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, on the sidelines of the 75th World Health Assembly.

With the support of the people and the efforts of the health forces, the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran has been controlled, and for more than two weeks now, the daily mortality rate has reached less than 10, he stated.

So far, about 150 million doses of vaccine have been injected into the Iranian population and the coverage of vaccination in the total population is about 75 percent, he highlighted.

The successful experience of the Islamic Republic of Iran in controlling the coronavirus pandemic was made known in the seventy-fifth session of the World Health Assembly.

Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, has said Iran is a role model for primary health care.

Stating that the country has been able to reduce the Covid mortalities from 700 cases to less than 10, he added that this success has even been considered by the world’s scientific circles.

Focused on the theme of “Health for Peace, Peace for Health”, the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 22 to 28.

Health development

Based on innovative indicators of health technology development in 2021, Iran was ranked 60th among 132 countries, which shows an improvement of 60 steps compared to 2014, the deputy health minister for research and technology, has announced.

A total of 1,670 knowledge-based firms are operating in the health sector, ISNA quoted Younes Panahi as saying.

He added that there are 13 science and technology parks and 95 technology growth centers in the field of health, while 343 technological products have so far been licensed, and 335 inventions in medical sciences have been patented.

The health technology development is evaluated by the Global Innovation Index with seven indicators, including institutional structure, human capital and research, infrastructure, market and business complexity, technological knowledge, and creativity, he explained.

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.

“At the outset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Islamic Republic of Iran made its primary health care system a core part of its national response. This PHC infrastructure allowed systematic outreach activities for early case detection, contact tracing, and triage for hospital referral (if necessary) by community health workers.

FB/MG