Para-sectoral Collaboration for the Control and Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Structures, Policies and Achievements

Control and prevention of non-communicable diseases(NCD) and their risk factors require programs and policies that their adoption and implementation is beyond the capacity of the health sector alone. The purpose of this study is to express the experience of the Islamic Republic of Iran in advancing the goals of the National Document on Control and Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases through inter-sectoral collaboration and its achievements.

This study was done by reviewing documents (including decrees, reports, policy briefs, progress reports, minutes) and by qualitative analysis of these documents based on a predetermined framework. All documents related to control and prevention of NCDs in the Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Health and Food Security (SCHFS) from 2013 to 2020 were used.

The para-sectoral collaboration Advisory Committee is one of the task forces of the National Committee for Control and Prevention of NCD, which through the SCHFS and its subdivisions facilitated the participation of other agencies and stakeholders to implement the National Document on Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the SCHFS decrees and programs are related to the nutritional factors of NCDs (saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids, salt in industrial and traditional food products, pollutants and residual pesticides in Agricultural products), reduction of air pollution and mental health, which are the main targets of national documents for the Control and Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases.

Involvement of stakeholders and cooperation of other sectors in the health system to control and prevent NCDs and their risk factors requires the establishment of structures and processes at the highest levels of policy making as well as at the intermediate and operational levels of the management. Avoiding frequent and early changes in the structures and processes of para-sectoral collaboration, and adopting participatory based approaches to follow the implementation of policies and programs in a coherent and coordinated manner are necessary.