the “National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of NCDs in I.R.Iran, 2015-2025” has been published in collaboration with the health equity research center

Even though until a few decades ago communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, polio, and measles were the main causes of disease burden and deaths, due to the recent rapid advancements in health technologies and the grand achievements in prevention (the discovery of vaccines), health and hygiene (the increase in the overall hygiene), and treatment (the invention of new effective drugs) the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have become the major cause of death, disability, and loss of healthy years of life. These diseases –the most common ones being heart and vascular diseases, various cancer types, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes– are found among all nations and populations with diverse rates and are on the path of becoming a great challenge for healthcare systems; it is estimated that in several years –due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the interruption in providing and delivering care for these patients– these rates will reach their peak.

According to the latest findings, the best method of facing this challenge is to control the risk factors; factors such as unhealthy life style, unbalanced diet, low physical activity, smoking, drinking alcohol, and etc. that are deeply rooted in individual and social life and thus rely on a great will and vast inter-sectional collaborations to be effectively controlled and reduced.

The official strategy of WHO is prioritizing the four most common diseases namely heart and vascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Hence, in 2016 the Islamic Republic of Iran assembled a national committee of healthcare experts under four main working groups (one for each disease) for planning and policy-making to reduce and control these diseases. The presented action plan, which was gathered by this committee and their collaborators, reviews the pattern of NCDs in our country during the past years and by presenting a foresight and solutions for better controlling and improving our countries status in related indicators of this matter in the future, hopes to be a key step in boosting the overall health of the population.

The Health Equity Research Center (HERC), affiliated with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS), was honored to collaborate in gathering this plan and write the 8th chapter of this document titled “the socioeconomic inequities in contraction and death from non-communicable diseases in I.R.Iran.” We hope that the findings and solutions proposed in this document would help the promotion of health of all our citizens.