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Iranian health houses open the door to primary
care.
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| Article Type: | Brief article |
| Subject: |
Community health services
(Public participation) Community health services (Evaluation) |
| Pub Date: | 11/01/2008 |
| Publication: | Name: Reproductive Health Matters Publisher: Reproductive Health Matters Audience: General Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Family and marriage; Health; Women's issues/gender studies Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2008 Reproductive Health Matters ISSN: 0968-8080 |
| Issue: | Date: Nov, 2008 Source Volume: 16 Source Issue: 32 |
| Geographic: | Geographic Scope: Iran Geographic Code: 7IRAN Iran |
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| Accession Number: | 192393433 |
| Full Text: |
Working in pairs out of village-based facilities, Iran's
trained community health workers, the behvarzan, provide basic health
care to rural populations. Devised in 1981, the plan emphasised
community participation and intersectoral cooperation. There was strong
opposition at the time of its inception from health experts who thought
the infrastructure too ambitious and a regression in health care, owing
to the limited education of the behvarzan. Now more than 90% of
Iran's rural population are covered by 30,000 community health
workers in 17,000 health houses. Each health house serves approximately
1,500 people. Female health workers are responsible for child and
maternal health, vaccinations, registrations and administering
medicines. Male health workers mainly do activities outside the health
house, such as follow-up visits, identifying patients, and sanitation
and environmental projects. Behvarzan must have had 11 years of scholing
plus two years of theoretical and practical training. They often come
from the village they serve, and therefore know their patients as well
as the local culture. The health houses refer patients to rural health
centres, which cover 6,000-10,000 people and are responsible for
elective and emergency case management, supporting the health houses,
and supervising the behvarzan. (1) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (1.) Tavassoli M. Iranian health houses open the door to primary care. Bulletin of World Health Organization 2008;86(8):585-86. |
| Gale Copyright: | Copyright 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. |
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