Medicine in Iran: A brief overview.

Abstract

General practitioners from Iran will shortly be arriving to work in South Africa. Iran is a large country with a well developed health care system, both public and private. It has sufficient doctors to meet its needs. It has a welldeveloped primary health care network which offers care right down to the village level for all people in the country, and a well-functioning referral system. Iranian doctors train for seven years. Competition for places at medical school is great with only 1% of applicants being accepted. About 4000 doctors graduate every year. All graduates are required to do two years community service, largely in rural health centres. The health care system is specialist orientated. As a result, Iranian general practitioners are somewhat limited in their range of skills, but their basic training is sound and they have good experience from rural public health care. (SA Fam Pract 2004;46(5): 5-7)