Iran’s Healthcare Overhaul Plan is becoming a big challenge, says the head of Iranian Pharmaceutical Importers Association, warning that it is going to hit both the private sector and people alike.
“Despite the fact that the plan was originally designed to upgrade health services and reduce expenses, its implementation resulted in a government-led system that provides less costly health services of relatively lower quality,” Nasser Riyahi wrote in an opinion piece published on Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture’s website.
“The more the government and Health Ministry intervene in this sector, the more they tend to crowd out the private sector. This comes as the ministry officials spoke of delegating power to the private sector in the initial stages of the plan,” he said.
Riyahi appealed to newly-elected parliamentarians to review the laws related to the health sector.
“As representatives of the private sector, we believe the market should determine prices in all fields, including health. But according to the law, the ministry controls pricing in this sector and the private sector has been largely overlooked till today,” he said
