Health Insurance in Iran

With a population of almost 70 million people, Iran is one of the largest countries in the entire Middle East region.  This large population puts quite a strain on the national healthcare infrastructure, as well as other public services such as sanitation, water, and transportation.  However, the status of Iran in terms of healthcare has improved a lot during the last couple of decades, with the extension of the public health preventive services and the establishment of a large Primary Health Care Network.  Along with these well established public health networks, there are also a number of private health insurance companies and medical institutions offering a number of services to Iranian residents.

Despite the fact that many Islamic people are against private insurance for religious and philosophical reasons, there are a number of large health insurance companies throughout the country,  Of these, the four biggest are Social Security Organisation, Medical Treatment Insurance Organisation, Relief Committee Health Insurance for Poor People, and Military Service Health Organisation.  While private health insurance coverage is only at about 1% of the population, many people in cities with money choose to use private health clinics and hospitals that charge fees.  However, with about 73% of all Iranian workers having access to public health care plans and about 94% being able to access local healthcare services;  private health insurance and private health clinics are not needed by most of the population.

The biggest health network in Iran is run by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME), which is in charge or medical insurance, medical education, policy making, and the regulation of the national healthcare system.  A lot of effort has gone into the growth of this network in the last two decades, in order to offer Primary Health Care (PHC) to the vast majority of the Iranian population.  There is a lot of variation among different geographical areas however, with primary care being much more readily available in large Iranian cities and urban centres.  Health treatment of rural residents remains one of the biggest issues facing the Iranian healthcare system, many of who also face problems associated with water and sanitation.  Overall, the nation of Iran has a fairly good public healthcare system, and a growing network of private insurance companies and medical institutions that are also available to those residents who can afford them.