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Background and Aim: Costs can influence the quality of health services. Estimation of the costs of  the health care services is an important issue that has always preoccupied the minds of the managers of the health system. This study aimed to assess the costs of rural health centers and primary health centers in Kurdistan Province in 2014.

Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 30 rural health centers and 182 primary health centers of  kurdisatn University of Medical Sciences in 2014. Costs were determined on the basis of activity-based costing. Costs were divided into direct and indirect categories. Direct costs were related to personnel, consumable and non-consumable materials, energy , repairs , car and rural family physician. Indirect costs, included costs imposed by the city health centers, deputy of health , deputy of logistics and finance, and university chancellor's office.

Results: Direct costs of the health centers in 2014 amounted to  971,722,394 Rials. The highest proportion of the costs belonged to rural family physician (76.2%) and the lowest was related to the health workers (18.6%) . The costs of each rural health center ran to 1,515,851,000 Rials . Direct costs of a rural center including  its primary health centers amounted to 7,628,981,000 Rials. Indirect costs, including costs imposed by the city health centers, deputy of health , deputy of logistics and finance, and university chancellor's office were 479,345,000 Rials.

Conclusion: Considering the average costs of rural health centers, the annual budget allocated to the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, is low, and can affect the quality of  basic health services for rural areas.

Keywords: Cost, Health Center, Home Health.

Received: May 8, 2016      Accepted: Sep 28, 2016

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Background and Aim: Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in the provision of non-communicable disease prevention and management services in many countries and there is a concern that this disorder will lead to long-term complications of these diseases; This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the status of some prevention and management services of non-communicable diseases in the primary health care system of Iran during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Materials and Methods: In this study, the routine data of 8 services related to the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases in the integrated electronic health record system (SIB) within 10 months after the outbreak of Covid-19 were compared to the same period last year.
Results: Non-communicable disease prevention and management services have decreased by an average of 18.89% compared to the same period last year; this decrease was much more severe at the beginning of the epidemic period (up to 75% in some services) and more in the services provided by physicians than in the services provided by non-physicians. Also, observation of the course of selected services during this period showed that after the initial reduction of services, a process of gradual compensation is evident.
Conclusion: like other areas involved in the pandemic, the effect of the Covid-19 epidemic on non-communicable disease prevention and management services in the primary health care system of Iran, has been significant and although partial compensation of some services is promising, more attention and effort is needed to revive the other programs.

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Background and Aim: Overweight and obesity disrupt people's quality of life and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, gastrointestinal diseases and cancer. It also reduces the immunity of people against epidemic diseases.
Materials and Methods: In this article, extensive search of electronic databases, review of national upstream documents as well as review of documents and reports of the Ministry of Health were conducted to comprehensively review the prevalence of obesity and its associated factors, measures taken to control this risk factor, and challenge of a syndemic of obesity and Covid-19 in Iran.
Results: Based on the results of the national non-communicable diseases risk factors study (STEPS) in Iran, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated to be 59.3% in people aged 18 years and older. Moreover, overweight and obesity were not homogeneously distributed in the country and the mean body mass index (BMI) changed from the lowest in the Southeastern to the highest in the Northwestern provinces. Covid-19 pandemic has made the situation even worse as the social distancing measures along with mental problems have made tremendous changes in people's lifestyles including physical activity and eating behaviors and this resulted in higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) risk factors especially overweight and obesity. Moreover, obesity increased the risk of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care units, the need for mechanical ventilation, and even mortality in patients with Covid-19. Meanwhile, anti-obesity services faced problems during the epidemics and posed a serious challenge to the world.
Conclusion: This study highlighted the need for targeted national policies to simultaneously control the obesity and Covid-19 pandemics.

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Background and Aim: Evidence shows that COVID-19 pandemic affects non-communicable diseases (NCDs), significantly. This study aimed to analyze the status of prevention and management services of NCDs at the level of primary health care (PHC) system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials and Methods: In this situation analysis study, first the circulars communicated at the level of PHC system from beginning of the pandemic to the end of September 2020 were manually and electronically retrieved, and those which included a decision or action in terms of governance and coordination mechanisms to provide NCDs in crisis and reopening stages, were analyzed. Then, the plans of major NCDs services in low-risk, intermediate, and high-risk conditions were developed and finalized based on the circulars. Finally, situation analysis was performed using SWOT analysis, and proposed strategies were extracted.
Results: 25 out of 199 circulars were analyzed. In the crisis phase, most screening, risk assessment and diagnostic services were suspended, and the follow-ups and care of patients with NCDs were mainly done by telephone. In the reopening phase, general strategies were adopted to increase capacity and to compensate delayed care, and the plan of major NCDs services at the PHC system was developed in the three-pandemic settings. Finally, main strategies were proposed with integration approach and focusing on essential services, considering vulnerable groups and the use of E-health technologies.
Conclusion: The results indicated an interruption in NCDs services during the crisis phase, while adopting strategies to respond to the pandemic. Revision of the COVID-19 guides with a particular focus on NCDs prevention and management services is recommended in national response plan.

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Background and Aim: The incidence rate of cancer in Iran is lower than the global average, but this rate is increasing both in the world and in Iran in the next two decades
Materials and Methods: "Iran National Cancer Control" was developed in 2013 with a strategic planning approach and consists of 4 main processes and 7 support processes.
Results: Some of the significant interventions taken in the main processes are: implementation of training programs, vaccinations and multi-sectoral collaboration to reduce the burden of risk factors, in the prevention component; implementation of breast, cervical and colon cancer screening programs and development of relevant protocols, cheap HPV testing with insurance coverage, and production of FIT kits, in the early detection component; development of 12 National Practice Guidelines for anticancer drugs and standardizing chemotherapy and radiotherapy services, in diagnosis and treatment component; development of supportive and palliative care management protocols and standardizing these services.
In the supporting processes, the main measures taken in the form of 7 components of this program are: developing National Cancer Control Program and forming its secretariat, designing and implementing a geospatial infrastructure program, creating, developing and equipping early detection, and cancer treatment centers and referral laboratories, holding training courses, promoting insurance coverage for cancer services, and implementing an integrated cancer information management system.
Conclusion: This program has been able to achieve its short-term objectives in the defined periods, but in order to fully implement the program and achieve the expected outcomes, it is necessary to strengthen its governance structure and the commitment of health system policy makers to this program.