The Integration of Medical Education and Health Care Services in the I.R. of Iran and its Health Impacts

Abstract

Prior to the Islamic Revolution, there was hardly a health care "system" in Iran. Preventive health care was very limited, and a fairly decent curative care could only be found in Tehran and, to a lesser extent, in a few large cities where a great major­ity of the 12-14 thousand Iranian physicians were practicing. In 1985, according to the law, all health-related schools and institutions were taken away from the Ministry of Higher Education and were integrated into the Ministry of Health, form­ing the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. In 1994 provincial health organizations and the universities of medical sciences were integrated, and universities of medical sciences and health services were established. Since then, the chan­cellors of these universities are not only responsible for education and research, but also for the health care of their entire province. As a result of the integration, research has become more public health oriented and medical education more com­munity oriented. The integration has also led to an improvement in the health situation of the country; particularly in the villages, remote areas and less developed provinces.