Challenges of Non-Governmental Organizations to Promote Social Health in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have been active in the field of health for a long time and have played a key role in it, but these organizations are less known to the public for the promotion of social health and are not much considered by the planners and managers of the health system. This study was conducted to determine the challenges of NGOs’ to promote social health in Iran.

In this qualitative study, 15 Iranian managers and scientific and executive experts of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, Governorate, and Universities of Medical Sciences of the country were selected by purposeful sampling during 2021. Data were collected using an interview guide and semi-structured in-depth interview methods. After recording and transcribing, the data were analyzed by content analysis.

The challenges of NGOs to promote social health in Iran were classified into six main themes of planning, organizing, functional, political, economic, and sociocultural challenges, and 33 sub-themes. Most of the participants emphasized the weak role of non-governmental organizations in improving social health and considered it a result of the mentioned challenges.

Empowering non-governmental organizations by formulating a strategic and operational plan and attracting financial resources from various government, private, and charitable sectors will greatly help to strengthen them to advance social health promotion programs.