Abstract
About this talk
This study aimed to identify the role of municipalities in the health systems of several selected countries, including Denmark, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, and Iran. The primary objective was to identify the health care services provided by municipalities in these countries and to offer comprehensive information to policymakers regarding the potential delegation of services to municipalities in Iran. This research was conducted as a descriptive-comparative study using secondary data analysis. Required information was collected through a review of articles, official documents, and publications from reputable databases. For data analysis, George Brady's four-stage model was employed. The countries were selected based on criteria such as similarity to Iran, having a strong municipal system, and accessibility of information. Results demonstrated that municipalities in the selected countries provide a wide range of preventive and therapeutic health care services. In Finland, Hungary, and Denmark, the role of municipalities in delivering primary and even secondary care services was more prominent. Services offered by municipalities included school health, environmental health, elderly care, dental services, physiotherapy, vaccination, and, in some cases, management of psychiatric hospitals. The delegation of certain preventive and therapeutic care services, and sometimes the management of health centers, to municipalities was observed in the selected countries. It is suggested that initially some health care services such as school health, or participation in the construction and management of health centers be delegated to municipalities on a pilot basis, and then, based on the results, decisions be made regarding the expansion of this role.
Keywords: Municipalities, Health System, Health Care, Decentralization, Comparative Study.
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