All healthcare providers including staff at health houses, health social workers, doctors, and specialists will undergo short-term training courses on the potentials and techniques of traditional medicine in the Iranian year that began in March, said Mahmoud Khodadoost, deputy for traditional medicine at the Health Ministry. “The move is part of the ministry’s initiative to integrate Iranian traditional medicine services into the healthcare system by the end of the fiscal year in March 2017,” he was quoted by ILNA as saying. Courses on traditional medicine will also be added to the curriculums at universities of medical sciences. Further, the ministry has plans to set up centers to offer natural herbal and food products, and is set to crack down on herbal medicine stores that operate illegally. Four traditional medicine health centers have opened in Yazd, Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Kerman provinces funded by the private sector.
