TEHRAN – Iran is one of the four countries that have a well-developed program to combat the epidemic of respiratory diseases, World Health Organization Consultant Gina Samaan has said.

In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic or various respiratory diseases, we need to think of future plans to manage newly emerging epidemics, she stated.

“The World Health Organization compares the methods of countries in the fight against the pandemic and uses the experience of Iran and other countries in the other parts of the world.

Last year, WHO Regional Director for Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmad al-Manzari, said that Iran is a role model in West Asia for taking measures to control non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It is necessary to identify the existing experiences and potentials and, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, provide a clear solution for the future,” she explained.

In February 2021, WHO Regional Director for Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmad al-Manzari, said that Iran is a role model in West Asia for taking measures to control non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Al-Manzari stressed the need to transfer Iran’s knowledge and experience to other countries in the region, especially experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic and non-communicable diseases by setting up regional and global networks.

Unfortunately, with the over-emphasis of the health system on the recent pandemic and the disruptions in the provision of prevention measures, it is predicted that in the coming years, non-communicable diseases bring up new challenges to the world, lamented.

NCDs kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally. Each year, 15 million people die from an NCD between the ages of 30 and 69 years; over 85% of these "premature" deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Some 300,000 Iranians die of NCDs annually in Iran, which means that one-fourth of the country’s population (standing at 80 million) are overweight or obese which also results in developing NCDs.

In June 2021, al-Manzari 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