TEHRAN – A total of 410 billion rials (nearly $1.4 million) is proposed for the treatment of addiction and reduction of its social harm from the Health Insurance Organization’s share of the budget bill for the next calendar year (starting on March 21, 2022).

The budget of the Health Insurance Organization of Iran, which is provided from targeted expenditures, covers four programs, including the program of providing treatment services to addicts and reducing the harm of addiction, Hossein Ranjbaran, deputy head of the Organization, said.

In other words, some 390 billion rials has been allocated to this program in the current year, but the budget has risen by 6 percent in the next year, he stated, IRNA reported on Sunday.

President Ebrahim Raisi submitted the administration’s draft of the national budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year 1401, to the Majlis on December 12. The proposed budget amounted to about 36.31 quadrillion rials (about $123 billion).

Supplying basic goods, treatment, and medical equipment; securing livelihood; supporting production and employment; promoting and supporting non-oil exports and knowledge-based companies are the focal points of the bill.

Health reform plan

The healthcare reform plan, aiming at decreasing the out-of-pocket expenses for the patients, promoting natural birth, and supporting underprivileged patients suffering from rare or incurable diseases, was launched in the country in May 2014.

A plan that has succeeded in enforcing many of the health-deferred laws and regulations, and continues to do so despite all the credit and manpower deficiencies.

Increased access to medicine and treatment was among the achievements of the plan. In addition, 11 million Iranians without any health insurance were covered by public insurance.

Prior to the project, public spending on healthcare services was more than 50 percent. Meanwhile, with the implementation of the plan, the share of payment from the pockets of patients in the field of health has decreased to 32.4 percent.

The plan started supporting physicians in deprived areas, which increased the number of doctors to more than 4,300 general practitioners, specialists, and subspecialists, resulting in increased access to medical treatment.

About 1,100 comprehensive healthcare centers across the country are now offering medical services to patients and providing the necessary care since the onset of the epidemic.

One of the important health capacities that came to the aid of the country in the coronavirus crisis was the electronic health record, and according to the former health minister Saeed Namaki, at least 75 million Iranians with a national code can file electronic health records.

FB/MG