Coronavirus Crisis, an Opportunity to Pay Attention to a Neglected Policy (Expressing Viewpoints)

In this article, it is intended to examine the Coronavirus crisis from the perspective of the health system. Like other systems, the health system in all countries, including Iran, has various details and points that have been developed over the years. Some of the most important of these points and their relationship to the recent crisis are examined. This text deals with primary health care, which has been recognized for about four decades as one of the most important and advanced issues in the health system. A week after a meeting of the health ministers from countries around the world in the city of Alma-Ata, the former Soviet Union and present-day Kazakhstan, a declaration was adopted that lighted up the future of all countries in the field of health. The declaration that is still helpful and practical after more than four decades of its codification. In this document, Primary Health Care, or PHC, was announced as a means of achieving the great goal of Health for All (HFA) (1). It comprises four principles and 11 components. The components of PHC are the service package that was supposed to be provided in all countries for free, equal, and to all. However, the more important thing is the announcement of four essential principles as a platform to offer these services that countries should provide a way for the delivery of these services by creating such a context. (2) [VZ1] It is evident that health services are a set of different and diverse measures that are not limited to the health care system. Perhaps the ultimate goal of many of the services offered in other sectors of development also leads to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of the community. Accordingly, the principle of inter-sectoral coordination is an essential and critical policy in the health system and PHC with the assumption that all existing capacities in all governmental and non-governmental organizations must be exploited at all times so that maximum efficiency from a set of various actions is achieved. (3) The crisis of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in recent months has highlighted the importance of this policy more than ever before. Possibly, the benefit and integration in the tasks of other organizations in the field of combating the coronavirus have been very fundamental and beneficial, ranging from the armed forces and police and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij troops to the capacity of clergymen, Friday prayer leaders and congregation prayer leaders to the actions of other administrative areas such as municipalities, education, the Red Crescent. More importantly, NGOs, health volunteers and charities play a significant role in managing this crisis. A committee called the Health Council was formed in all cities and provinces at the national level to strengthen this principle from the beginning of the establishment of the health care network system in the country in the 60s which was done with the aim of implementing PHC in the country (4-5). In recent years, it has been operating in the form of a working group on health and food security, and its main task has been to pay attention to the principle of inter-sectoral coordination to promote the health of the people and society.(6) All these measures emphasize the progressive principle of inter-sectoral coordination between different agencies and organizations to provide, maintain, and improve the health of the community. Although such measures are very complicated and challenging, it appears that we still should take advantage of this opportunity in the best way possible with the experiences achieved in the crisis of Covid-19 so that they can be influential in the path of health promotion of the community as it was before.