TEHRAN – Health Minister Bahram Einollahi has said infertility treatment centers will be established in all provinces.

Setting up 103 infertility treatment centers at level 3 has been one of the important programs of the ministry in the field of population, he added, IRNA reported.

“In the issue of population, the Ministry of Health took action to reform the structure and establish the general directorate for population and employ specialized and committed managers in this field.”

Stating that by the [Iranian calendar year] 1430 (March 2051-March 2052), more than 30 percent of the country's population will be elderly, the minister said: “If we do not find a solution to overcome the population crisis in the next six years, we will face many problems in the future.”

The Ministry of Health has formed a comprehensive network for providing fertility services at three levels all over the country.

For infertility treatment patients go to level-one centers and are referred to levels two and three if they need specialized treatments, deputy health minister Saeed Karimi said.

Previously, there were no level-two centers for infertility treatment services in the country, ISNA quoted Karimi as saying.

“Health minister has announced that 64 level-two infertility treatment centers should be set up in the country by next year. There are currently 16 level-two centers in the country.”

Some 85 percent of infertility cases can be treated in level-two infertility treatment centers, he said, adding that 103 level-three infertility treatment centers are currently active in the country.

About 90 percent of hospitalization costs and 70 percent of outpatient costs for infertility treatment services are covered by insurance, while the services had not been covered by insurance in the past, he concluded.

In Iran, about 10.5 percent of the population was over 60 years old in 2020. In 2050, the population over 60 years is forecast to increase to 33 percent.

Also, about 7 percent of the population was over 65 years old in 2020. In 2030, the population over 65 years is forecast to increase to about 10 percent.

Considering the negative consequences of population decline in the lives of families and the negative effects of aging and population aging in the coming years, necessary measures should be taken to promote the culture and improve people's attitudes towards having children.

President Ebrahim Raisi has urged all responsible bodies and organizations to adopt national policies in line with the goal of population growth.

All the institutions and organizations of the country are obliged to prepare their plans and programs within the framework of the population growth policy and follow up on their implementation seriously, he said, IRIB reported.

He referred to "population" as one of the important and key points in the 7th national development plan (2021-2026).

The president considered promoting the culture of marriage and reducing divorce and helping to solve the problem of infertility as some of the effective factors in increasing the population, which should be the priority of attention and action of all institutions.

In November last year, Raisi declared the “Law on Family and Youth Support" to the Judiciary for a 7-year implementation.

It was also declared to other ministries including the Health Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Education Ministry, as well as the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs.

The plan stipulates health insurance for infertile couples, providing services and facilities to working women, providing health and nutrition support packages to mothers and children, educational opportunities for student mothers, providing livelihood support to families, and ongoing medical services to pregnant women.

The national budget bill for the current [Iranian calendar] calendar year, which began on March 21, has proposed 120 trillion rials (nearly $480 million) to implement childbearing and family support plans in the country.

Also, as per the Law, children, and family allowance of all different groups of employees in the relevant institutions, the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and also faculty members of universities and research institutions, judges, and retirees will increase by 50 to 100 percent.

The Law also describes the conditions for maternity leave. The duration of maternity leave was increased to 9 months with the payment of all salaries and related bonuses, and if the mother requests, up to two months of this leave can be used in the final months of pregnancy, which is 12 months for the birth of twins and multiples.

Couples who have their third child benefit from government incentives such as land, so that in cities with a population of fewer than 500,000 people and more, half of the land is allocated to the mother and another half to the father.

In cities with more than 500,000 populations, the land will be given to families with 3 or more children in new cities or nearby cities.

Over the [Iranian calendar] year 1410 (March 2031-March 2032), the elderly population will reach 13.5 million people, which is 14 percent of the country’s population, and Iran will officially be an old country.

Currently, the elderly population is 9.2 million, which constitutes 7.10 percent of the country's population.

MG