A qualitative study on human resources for primary health care in Iran.

Background: According to World Bank Group report, while Primary Health Care (PHC) services in Iran were appropriate to the needs of the population in the late 1970s and 1980s, the changing burden of diseases and shifting demand patterns have rendered the existing PHC system no longer suitable to meet current and emergent needs. Based on previous studies, one of the main PHC challenges in Iran relates to human resources issues.

Methods: This study was conducted in 2012 at 3 scales of local (Tabriz city), provincial (East Azerbaijan), and national levels.

Weaknesses and challenges of primary healthcare system in Iran: a review.

While the primary healthcare (PHC) services in Iran were appropriate to the needs of the population in the late 1970s and 1980s, the changing burden of disease and shifting demand patterns have rendered the existing PHC system no longer suitable for meeting current and emergent needs. This has serious implications for the PHC system in Iran, which has clearly succeeded in addressing high levels of communicable diseases, maternal deaths and infant mortality, but appears less well prepared to address the emerging challenges of noncommunicable diseases (NCD). We conducted a systematic review of the available literature in the past 10 years related to the PHC system in Iran to assess its weaknesses and challenges.