Tehran, March 3, 2009 - On the occasion of the Second Meeting of the Health Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), held in Tehran during the 1st and 4th of March, the Executive Advisor to the Health Minister and the Vice-Chair of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), Dr. Heidari, presented his views on the experience of the country in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

According to the special article written by Dr. Heidari, which was presented on the occasion of the Ministerial Conference, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Iran has undertaken a broad initiative to reach the MDGs. By 2015, in accordance with the indicators set, the country aims to:

• reduce the under five mortality rates by two thirds
• improve maternal health by reducing the mortality ratio by three quarters and,
• provide universal access to reproductive health services in order to combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis (TB) and to ultimately have them halted by 2015.

In addition it lies in the aims of the ministry to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and to provide universal access to treatment to all those who need it by 2010. Furthermore, the ministry hopes to reverse the incidence of Malaria and TB by 2010.

As was highlighted in the article, and supported by the latest MDG report published in the country, national statistics indicate “that progress and achievements [towards the MDGs] has been made in most health indicators”. This achievement has been dedicated to not only the efforts of the Health Sector, but also to the important work of the Health Networks.

Child mortality

The indicators measuring child mortality looks at the under-five mortality rate, the infant mortality rate and the proportion of 1 year old children that have received immunization shots for measles. According to Dr. Heidari, the expansion of the coverage of the primary health care network (PHC) during the 1980s has had a significant impact on the process of reducing child under five mortality rates per 1000 live births from “68.1 in 1990 to 22.33 in 2007”. In addition, measles vaccination has over 40 years of implementation in the country, with a result of “a coverage of almost 100% at present”.

Maternal health

In the context of reproductive health, improvements in maternal health are measured firstly by the maternal mortality ratio and secondly based on the proportion of birth attended by skilled health personnel. In Iran, national statistics show that maternal mortality rates (per 100 000 live births) have experienced a “significant decrease from 91 cases of death in 1989 to 24.6 cases in 2007”. During the same period, data shows that “the proportion of birth attended by skilled health personnel [has] increased from 70% to around 97.3%”.

HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases

The targets under this MDG are to first and foremost halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, secondly achieving universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it and thirdly to halt and begin to reverse the incidence of Malaria and other major diseases. “Within the framework of available data, 16 679 cases of HIV infection” has been identified in Iran by 2007. The highest cause of infection, 67.5%, has been reported to be “the use of unsterile syringes by [Intravascular] Drug Users (IDUs)”.

Based on available data, the Malaria prevalence rate (incidence rate per 100 000 population) has “decreased from 94 in 1996 to 23 in 2007”. According to estimates provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tuberculosis incidence, prevalence and death rates in Iran has reached a “respective decrease of 39%”. Presently the “100 of the diagnosed TB cases in Iran are under directly observed treatment, short course (DOTS)”.

Dr. Heidari concludes his article by pointing to the geographical differences which need to be taken into consideration for a continued improvement of the indicators which helps us progress towards achieving the MDGs by 2015. In addition, he also takes the chance to highlighting the key challenges lying ahead, including:

• Revitalization of Primary Health Care by initiating Family Physicians and referral system
• Improving the effectiveness of qualitative and quantitative measures used in the Health Care Networks
• Fighting against newly emerging and re-emerging diseases
• Iran's role as a host for foreign migrants which requires implementing cross-boarding projects with neighboring countries
• The intersectoral coordination between the private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government bodies in order to establish a more effective ground for attracting financial resources
• The expansion of health insurance
• Designing and improving information management systems and corresponding systems for monitoring and evaluation.

The MDGs are a wide set of goals, which the world community and its leaders accepted during the Millennium Summit, in order to respond to the world’s main development challenges. These challenges include poverty reduction, achieving universal primary education, reaching gender equality and women empowerment, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS as well as other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and building global partnerships. Through coordination and contribution of work between different actors, the international community can achieve these set goals by 2015.