IRANIAN HEALTH FINANCING SYSTEM: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

Health financing system in our country does not obey any scientific and defined pattern and different governmental, private and charity sectors participate in this system. In this study Iranian health financing system is investigated as well as its existing challenges and opportunities from experts` points of view. This study has been conducted in a qualitative method and Delphi technique has been used to provide a group of health system, budgeting, finance and insurance experts` views in two rounds. Consensus was obtained after a level of 70% agreement on each question.The most important opportunities based on consensus of participants ` views on health system financing have been provided using two-round Delphi in three main dimensions as follows: Dimension of legal and policy making opportunities, dimension of organizational capacities opportunities and dimension of process opportunities. In addition, the most significant challenges based on consensus of participants` views on health system financing have been provided in nine main dimensions as follows: policy, credit, injustice, inefficiency and ineffectiveness, inappropriate allocation, financing, insurance, economic and executive challenges.In order to eliminate challenges and improve opportunities of health sector financing in Iran, the present experts have suggested the intersectoral and extrasectoral interventions as a necessary point that can help accessing more equitable health financing system in the near future.