Healthcare in Iran
The country faces the common problem of other young demographic nations in the region, which is keeping pace with growth of an already huge demand for various public services.
[9] In 2016, Bloomberg News ranked Iran 30th most efficient healthcare system ahead of the United States and Brazil.
[12] As a result, child and maternal mortality rates have fallen significantly, and life expectancy at birth has risen remarkably.
In rural areas, each village or group of villages has a "health house" staffed by community health workers, locals trained in preventive healthcare methods such as nutrition, family planning, taking blood pressure, prenatal care, immunization, and monitoring environmental conditions such as water quality.
Each health house is equipped with an examination room and sleeping quarters, and has a staff of one man and one or more women, all of whom are from the villages they serve.
[4] The Social Security Organization is responsible for insuring employed citizens in urban areas and their dependents, with the exception of government workers.
[19] In 2023, The Iran News Update quoted a 2022 report from the Iranian Statistics Center reinforcing the statement that the regime's policies have made adequate healthcare a commodity that only wealthy families can afford.
[15] As a result of the new policies, low-income families face severe difficulties in obtaining essential medications and a large segment of the population, including many senior citizens, has resorted to the dangerous trend of self-treatment.
[20] Between 2020 and 2025, Iran experienced a large-scale exodus of healthcare professionals, with approximately 16000 doctors leaving the Islamic Republic.
[16] The migration is due to the government's scrutiny of doctors who treated patients injured during the nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, in addition to high taxes, low salary, lack of job security and strict enforcement of the Hijab law, among other factors.
The demographic and epidemiological transition underway will have a significant effect on the pattern of morbidity and mortality in the near and distance future, especially as it affects the emergence of chronic non-communicable diseases and the health problems of an aging population.
Although overall improvements have been achieved in all health areas since the 1979 revolution, the present challenging economic conditions of the country, combined with rapid advances in medical technology and information technology, individuals’ expectations, and the young demographic of the population will undoubtedly challenge the sustainability of past improving trends.
Apart from the price which is considerably lower, comparing to other countries being in the same region, the quality of medical services in Iran are quite pleasing.
Iran has a well-developed pharmaceutical production capability, however, the country still relies on imports for raw materials and many specialized drugs.
[25] These include microplates, omeprazole, tamsulosin hydrochloride, naltrexone base, sitagliptin phosphate, and pioglitazone in various sizes.
[26] Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) has a mission to provide access to sufficient quantities of safe, effective and high quality medicines that are affordable for the entire population.
[27] Although over 85 percent of the population use an insurance system to reimburse their drug expenses, due to the severe decline in Iranian economy, in 2018 the government heavily subsidized pharmaceutical production/importation in order to increase affordability of medicines.
[14] This tended also to increase overconsumption, overprescription and misuse of drugs, much like the abuse of pharmaceutical opioids in Iran such as the heavily prescribed codeine for moderate to severe pain.
The regulatory environment of the country is rather strict on the import of drugs and pharmaceuticals towards companies that intend to enter into the market for the first time.
[30] The rising medical costs for Iranian consumers has pushed thousands of those in need of treatment to the brink of bankruptcy.
[28] In 2006, 55 pharmaceutical companies in Iran produce more than 96 percent (quantitatively) of medicines on the market, worth $1.2 billion annually.
[48] Iranian researchers have developed 41 types of anti-cancer medications, overcoming the need for importing pricey cancer drugs from abroad (2011).
Darou Pakhsh has an annual turnover of US$400m and claims to have the largest research and development operation of any Iranian drug firm.
The company formed a plasmapheresis joint venture with a German medical firm, Biotest AG, in early 2004.
[57] Iranian pharmaceutical manufacturers are reported to be disadvantaged by the government's poor intellectual property protection regime and lack of foreign direct investment.
