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Summary Background Sustainable health financing is one of the main challenges of policy makers and planners. This study aimed at comparing the experiences of countries in using the sin tax policies for sustainable health financing resources. Methods This qualitative study was conducted in two phases. First, a comparative study was carried out by searching databases from 1990 to 2017, and six countries (Thailand, England, Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, and Vietnam) were selected. Second, the existing Iranian high policy documents from 2005 to 2017 were reviewed deeply by using the content analysis method. Results The sin tax, such as taxes on tobacco and alcohol, was one of the main policies to provide sustainable health financing in all selected countries. The Iranian health system had no significant‐related legal and political gap, but there were limitations in enforcing and implementing them. Finally, it is necessary to evaluate the policy and follow its effects up. Conclusions The main financial resources in the selected countries included health promotion funds with different names and goals which took taxes on harmful goods, tobacco, and alcohol. Weaknesses in implementing laws and monitoring them were the main reasons for the lack of sustainable financing.

IntroductionFair distribution of hospital beds across various regions is a controversial subject. Resource allocation in health systems rarely has focused on those who need it most and, in addition, is often influenced by political interests. The study assesses the distribution of hospital beds in different regions in Tehran, Iran, during 2010–2012.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in all regions of Tehran (22 regions) during 2010 to 2012. All hospital beds in these regions are included in the study. Data regarding populations of each region were obtained from the Statistics Center of Iran. According to the data, the total number of beds (N.B) and population (P) in 2010 (N.B=19075, P= 7585000), 2011 (N.B=21632, P= 9860500), and 2012 (N.B=21808, P=12818650). The instrument was a form, including the name of the hospital, the district in which the hospital was located, the number of staffed beds, the name of each region, and its population. Data analysis was performed using DASP software version 2.3.ResultsThe results demonstrate that the Gini coefficient of distributed beds in 22 regions of Tehran was 0.46 in all three years and specifically calculated 0.4666 in 2010, 0.4658 in 2011 and 0.4652 in 2012. The Gini coefficient of beds in 22 regions of Tehran is not fair in comparison with the population of each region during the years 2010 to 2012.ConclusionThe results demonstrate that the distribution of beds in regions in Tehran is not fair in relation to the population of each region—and some regions had no hospitals. Therefore, it is essential for policymakers to frequently monitor this issue and investigate the fair distribution of hospital beds.

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Resources allocated to health promotion are not sustainable and change according to the country's budget policies and priorities. The accumulation of taxes/ sin tax of harmful goods and services and allocating them to health promotion can improve the public health and reduce the burden of diseases and imposed costs on the health system. →What this article adds:There are a variety of approaches to sustainable financing of health promotion services in Iran: taxes/sin tax on unhealthy foods, sweetened beverages & services; using the capacities of social insurance funds; and relying on government's budget.

Background: This study has been conducted with the aim to identify factors affecting the management of pharmaceutical supply chain in Iran. Materials and Methods: This study was of a combined(quantity–quality)type. The assessment tool was a Likert scale-based five-option questionnaire. Content validity assessment was obtained at 0.89 according to the CVR, and construct validity was at 0.971 using factor analysis.KMO statistics was very high and indicative of a correlation of scale items.In terms of reliability of assessment in re­searcher-made tools, the selected items were analysed, and the results obtained showed that the applied scales enjoyed significant reliability.The sample for the survey was100experts in the pharmaceutical system of the country’s Food and Drug Administration, pharmaceutical companies, technical officer of pharmacies and the ministry of health and medical education. They were selected by purposive stratified non-random sampling and snowball methods. The data was analysed by exploratory factor analysis using SPSS and LISREL. Results: The re­sults of the current study indicated a pattern with significant and direct relationship between independent and dependent variables of medicine supply chain management. The most im­portant indicators of medicine supply chain management in order of priority were distribu­tion management with impact factor, IT management, pharmaceutical structure, pharmaceuti­cal structure programming, coordination, enterprise resource planning, logistics management, knowledge management, financial management, globalization, customer relationship manage­ment, and medical insurance system. Conclusions: According to the patterning indexes, it can be mentioned that the representative model has had a good fit, and a desirable compliance between a structural model with experimental data and expert opinion has been provided.[GMJ.2017;6(4):346-55] DOI: 10.22086/gmj.v6i4.869

Background Rabies is one of the oldest zoonosis viral diseases, which still remains as one of the most important threats to public health in the 21st century. Methods This cross-sectional study examined epidemiologic features of all 33,996 cases of persons bitten by animals and referred to the rabies prophylaxis centers in Golestan province between March 2017 and March 2020. Factors included demographic information of the victim (age, gender, and occupation), type of invasive animals (dog, cat, and other types), time of bite (year, month, and hour), place of residence (urban or rural), and injury and treatment statuses. We also obtained national and provincial animal bite incidence data for all of Iran and for Golestan province for the longer interval 2013–2020 to examine broader time trends. We used SPSS version 19, QGIS version 3.1, and Excel 2013 to generate frequency distributions and descriptive statistics. Results The incidence rates of animal bites in Golestan province and Iran as a whole both increased smoothly. The latest incidence rate of animal bites in Golestan was 652 per 100,000 people, almost three times the overall national figure for 2020. Most cases of animal bites (67.6%) occurred in rural areas, and 36% of the victims aged under 19 years old. Dog and cat bites accounted for the great majority of cases (89% and 8%, respectively). The highest rate of animal bites was reported in the spring (30.8%). The lower limb was the most commonly bitten area in these individuals (64.6%). Of note, 87% of the cases received incomplete prophylactic post-exposure treatment, and 18% received immunoglobulin. Conclusion The increasing rates of animal bites in the study area as well as the higher rate compared to the national average indicates the need for further review of animal bite control programs.