TEHRAN – Health Insurance Week will be marked from October 25 to 31 across the country with the theme of ‘Health insurance, national consensus for healthier Iran’.

The law for universal health coverage (UHC) took effect on October 25, 1994.

It focuses on various issues such as the role of health insurance in providing financial protection and ensuring a safe and sustainable society against medical expenses, prevention and promotion of public health, rare and hard-to-treat diseases and health insurance supports, healthy families, transparency, innovation and modern technologies, intersectoral cooperation to improve social determinants of health, and social justice in access to health services.

Each day of the week is centered around a specific topic.

Saturday, October 25, ‘Health insurance; financial protection of the people, sustainable community health’

Sunday, October 26, ‘Health insurance; prevention, achieving justice in health’

Monday, October 27, ‘Health insurance; supporting patients with hard-to-treat illnesses, life expectancy’

Tuesday, October 28, ‘Health insurance; healthy family, empowered society’

Wednesday, October 29, ‘Health insurance; transparency and innovation; a bright future’

Tuesday, October 30, ‘Health insurance; intersectoral cooperation, public support’

Friday, October 31, ‘Health Insurance, coverage for vulnerable groups’

More than 50 percent of the country’s population is covered by health insurance, but the organization needs the support of the government and parliament, service deepening, and implementing outdated laws such as resource pooling, clinical guidelines, family physicians, referral systems, and electronic health records to improve the quality of services to insured people and reduce out-of-pocket payments.

Iran a regional leader in health system

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) director for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) has said Iran is a leading country in expanding its healthcare system and providing access to universal health coverage.

Lauding the country’s achievements in recent years, Hanan Balkhi said expanding primary health care services, increasing access to health coverage in rural areas, maintaining high vaccination rates, and reducing maternal and newborn mortality, Iran has managed to become a successful role model in the region, the health ministry’s website reported.

The official made the remarks in a meeting with Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) held from May 19 to June 27 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The country’s commitment to providing equal health services to millions of refugees makes its services even more commendable.

WHO EMRO is working closely with the Iranian regulatory institutions to achieve regulatory maturity level 3 in the pharmaceutical regulatory system to pave the way for broader exports of Iranian health-oriented products to global markets; it will also contribute to promoting global health security, Balkhi added.

An Iranian delegation headed by Zafarqandi participated in the 78th WHA, held from May 19 to June 27 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Focusing on the 2025 theme ‘One World for Health’, WHA78 brought together high-level country representatives to address health challenges. This year’s gathering came at a pivotal moment for global health, as Member States confront emerging threats and major shifts in the landscape for global health and international development.

MT/MG