Proposed Programs to the Deputy for Prevention at Iran Health Insurance about Supporting Six Types of Preventive Services

The establishment of the Deputy for Prevention at Iran Health Insurance organization since two years ago has created a golden opportunity for advancing the six types of preventive services in Iran.According to 7 th section of Article 73 of the Seventh Development Plan of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2024-2028), basic health insurance organizations have committed to spend at least five percent of their annual approved budgets on preventive services during the implementation of the program.In preventive medicine and public health, preventive services are categorized into six types.In this commentary, each type of the six preventive measures will be briefly defined, and proposed programs will be presented to the Deputy for Prevention at Iran Health Insurance for promoting the quality of each type of preventive service.To successfully implement these programs, it is essential that the Prevention Department designs a comprehensive insurance support system for these six types of preventive services through the Supreme Council of Health Insurance.This system should be developed in collaboration with all insurance organizations, the Deputy for Health, and the Deputy for Treatment of the Ministry of Health, utilizing systems thinking and systems science with the goal of supporting ongoing programs at comprehensive health service centers and health houses.The following sections outline the six types of preventive services and propose actionable recommendations for each:Primal Prevention: This refers to preventing mental and physical diseases in future generations through preconception care until the child reaches two years of age.For example, efforts by the mother to prevent the fetus from exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy.The "Golden Thousand Days" educational programs 1 for parents of children under two years old and pregnant women, presented by Dr. Nozar Nakhaei, a professor of community medicine at Kerman University of Medical Sciences, in collaboration with the Deputy for Prevention at Iran Health Insurance, are examples of primal prevention.However, it should be noted that to effectively prevent the root causes of mental and physical diseases in future generations, improvements in preconception care are essential.Unfortunately, preconception care programs in rural health houses provided by health workers, and in urban comprehensive health service centers, provided by health workers, faces three major issues.First, the coverage of these services is very low, especially in urban areas.Second, these services are not couple-centered as they focus solely on women, while preconception care should involve both the woman and her partner visiting the health house or health service center together for care.Third, Iran's preconception care program pays little attention to the third dimension of health, namely social health, while various aspects of social health, such as food security and social stressors for parents, play a significant role in the health of the fetus and children under two.