TEHRAN – Thanks to the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME) and support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations, Iran is moving towards a future where all health facilities are safe and resilient and no one is left behind.
Their collaborative efforts resulted in a variety of capacity-building workshops held from October 11 to 15 for environmental health professionals that strengthened participants’ capacity to lead improvements in critical elements of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), waste management, health facility cleaning services, infection prevention, patient safety, and quality care.
Health professionals from 40 medical schools from 25 states participated in the National Training of Trainers (ToT), the WHO website announced in a press release on October 29.
“Safe and sustainable WASH services are not optional; they are the basis for delivering quality health care, protecting patients and health workers, and building climate-resilient health systems,” said WHO Iran Director Jafar Hussein. “This training has given our national experts the tools and knowledge to make this a reality in any healthcare facility.”
The training combined classroom learning with site visits and practical group exercises to enable participants to apply the WASH FIT methodology in a real-world environment. WHO and UNICEF facilitators noted the high level of professionalism and commitment, calling it one of the most successful WASH FIT trainings conducted in the region.
WASH FIT is a risk-based iterative management tool developed by WHO and UNICEF to help health facilities identify hazards, prioritize improvements, and monitor progress. Its implementation can reduce healthcare-associated infections, improve maternal and newborn care, and build resilience to climate and health threats. Used in more than 50 countries, it allows healthcare facilities to identify risks, plan and prioritize low-cost improvements, and monitor progress over time.
The initiative builds on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ongoing efforts to improve WASH in healthcare, including a 2021 baseline assessment of 742 facilities and a costed national roadmap developed with support from WHO. This is consistent with the WHO and Ministry of Health’s five-year strategic framework for environment and occupational health and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Iran.
The workshop concluded with a high-level ceremony at Shahid Rajaei Heart Hospital, attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of the President and Environment, WHO, UNICEF and the United Nations.
UNICEF Iran Representative Dorina Andreev Zitalo praised Iran’s efforts. “These are not luxuries, but they are the very foundation of quality care and dignity for all patients,” she said.
UN Resident Coordinator in Iran Stephen Prisoner emphasized the importance of training, adding: “Institutionalizing WASH FIT within a framework of national standards, financing and monitoring will ensure these improvements are sustained.”
The United Nations and Ministry of Health partners agreed on next steps, including a series of state-level trainings to scale up WASH FIT implementation across the country and technical assistance to integrate the tool into national surveillance systems.
UNICEF and WHO support Iran’s vaccination program
UNICEF and WHO are supporting the Ministry of Health in procuring the necessary vaccines and will support the introduction of new vaccines into national immunization programmes.
ISNA quoted UNICEF official Mohammad Eslami as saying that one of UNICEF’s top priorities is to support countries in adding new vaccines to their immunization programs to protect children from more diseases and reduce mortality.
He made the remarks while speaking at a workshop on immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases in Kerman province, ISNA reported.
Despite the sanctions, UNICEF is doing everything in its power to provide the necessary vaccines and support the Ministry of Health to ensure that no child is left behind, the official added.
Mr. Eslami emphasized the importance of the cold chain system, saying that the main purpose is to provide cold chain equipment to maintain the efficacy of vaccines.
Currently, the cold chain situation in the country is good and the Ministry of Health, with support from UNICEF, is providing new standard refrigeration facilities to be installed in areas without cold chain systems.
UNICEF added that it also provided 17 standard refrigerated vehicles to transport the vaccines to different parts of the country in a safe temperature range.
The official also said families and children should learn about the important role of vaccination in preventing life-threatening diseases. Mr. Eslami further pointed out that the guidance of target groups is therefore one of UNICEF’s main activities carried out this year.
WHO official Omid Zamani praised Iran’s achievements in its vaccination program, saying the country’s vaccination rate was satisfactory at about 97%.
However, in some border areas and areas where migrants live, children and adults may not have enough access to vaccinations. Therefore, it is essential for the country to accurately identify and cover these areas, he said.
Referring to the rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines that were added to the national immunization program last year, the official said three more vaccines will be introduced into the national immunization program over the next five years.
MT/MG