Iranian Journal of

---

Background and Objectives:Among health sector resources, hospital beds are the primary unit of calculation for the capacity of the health service and vital capacity in patient care. Lack of appropriate distribution in different parts of the country leads to transfer of patients and irreparable problems. The aim of this study was to provide accurate information on the number and distribution of hospital beds in the country in 2016 and to estimate the number of beds required by 2026.
Methods:This descriptive-analytic study was conducted in 2016. The population of the study comprised 439 counties covered by 46 medical universities of the country. In this study, the data of 2016 were used and information about the number and ownership of beds and the size of hospitals were obtained from the treatment deputies of medical universities.
Results:The number of active beds in the country was 117580 in 2016, and it is estimated that in order to meet the needs of the community, this number should reach 194471 beds by 2026. There were 1.47 beds for 1,000 people in 2016, which will increase to 2.9 in 2026 by implementing the NEDA project. The coefficient of variation in 2016 was 36%, which will reach 19% by 2026 according to estimates in the Iran's roadmap project.
Conclusion:The distribution of beds was differed in different regions of the country and there are not enough hospital beds in some areas. If the Iran roadmap is implemented, 2026 beds will be distributed more evenly across the country.

---

Background and Objectives: Iran is a large country that is often an importer of major medical equipment. There is no comprehensive databank of the status of the equipment in the country. The present study provides a clear description of the dispersal status of major medical equipment in the country in 2016 and the estimated number of required devices in 2026.
 
Methods: This study was conducted in 2016 in Iran. The study included 8 MRI, CT scan, gamma camera, linear accelerator, PET scan, cardiac angiography, peripheral angiography, and CT angiography devices. The data of the number of equipment in each city were collected through a census of devices.
 
Results: At the beginning of the year 2016, 3.5 MRI devices, 6.93 CT scans, 2.18 gamma cameras, 1.23 linear accelerators, 0.04 PET scans, 2.3 cardiac angiography devices, 0.27 peripheral angiography devices, and 0.25 CT angiography devices per million population were active in Iran. CT scan and MRI devices were the most available equipment. It is estimated that the same pattern should be maintained in 2026, but the distribution of devices as well as the total number of devices in the country should improve.
 
Conclusion: In 2016, for most of the devices, the proportion of the device to the population in the whole country was close to the global average, but there was a large accumulation of devices in large cities. This problem has been identified and interventions have been planned to move towards reducing inequalities In Iran's Health Roadmap.

---

Background and Objectives: The imbalance between the existing human resources and future needs of the health system disturb the service delivery process. The present study aimed at determining human resources needs in the health sector for a 10-year planning program. For this purpose, the researchers examined the geographical distribution of different groups of health system staff in 2016 and 2026.
 
Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out in 2016. The population of this study included 46 universities of medical sciences. Data of the number and distribution of health care staff working in public, private, charity, and semi-public sectors of medical departments of medical universities were collected. The Qlik View software was used for data integration and designing information dashboards.
 
Results: At the beginning of 2016, the ratio of nurses, nursing groups, midwives, pharmacists, dentistry and general physician per 100,000 individuals was 133, 199, 32, 17, 22, and 53 respectively, which are estimated to reach 223, 272, 37, 26, 27, and 79 in 2025, respectively. The coefficient of dispersion variation of the above was 39%, 32%, 43%, 33%, 43%, and 44% in 2016, respectively, which are estimated to reduce by 2026 if the Iran medical roadmap is implemented.
 
Conclusion: The high dispersion index of the medical personnel relative to the population in the cities covered by medical universities indicates unbalanced distribution. If the estimates of the Iran's 2026 medical roadmap are implemented, more appropriate distribution of the medical staff is expected.

---

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide a clear description of the pre-hospital emergency setting and risk management in accidents and disasters in accordance with current Iran’s standards in different regions of the country. This study was part of the national project "Iran Roadmap (Neda 2026)".
 
Methods: The data of the major medical equipment was gathered from 48 medical universities covering all of the country's 32 provinces. Goal standards were obtained from the “Ministry of Health” and the “Department of Statistics for Medical Accident and Emergency Management Centers” in all universities. Coefficient of dispersion was calculated to evaluate any dispersion in major medical equipment.
 
Results: The results of this study showed that in 2017, the highest and lowest coefficient in “pre-hospital facilities” was related to the ambulance engine (301%) and the operational base personnel (93%), respectively. Nio national standards were implemented in “Risk Management in accidents and disasters needs” in most provinces of Iran. In 2026 estimates, all of the factors improved and dispersion decreased.
 
Conclusion: Despite the poor distribution of prehospital indicators in 2017, forecasting showed desirable conditions in distribution of facilities in the pre-hospital emergency and risk management of accidents and disasters.

---

Background and Objectives: The distribution of specialists is important in two ways: geographical and specialty. In this study, we provided a description of the distribution of specialists in Iran in 2016 and its estimates in 2026.
 
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2016 to estimate the number of specialists in 2026. Data were gathered through a census of specialists working in each of 439 cities in the country, including those in public and private sectors. Coefficient of variation and the number of specialists in 100000 populations were applied as distribution measures.
 
Results: In the year 2016, there were 46 specialists per 100,000 populations, and it is estimated that considering the full-time equivalent index of 1.2, 63 specialists per 100,000 populations will be required in the year 2026. The highest and lowest ratio of specialists per population in the year 2016 was reported in Tehran (89 per 100,000 populations) and Jiroft (10 per 100,000 populations), respectively. The gynecologist group and geriatric specialists group were the largest (4747 specialists) and smallest group (4 specialists), respectively.
 
Conclusion: There was a considerable disparity between different regions of the country in terms of access to specialists. Furthermore, the ratio of specialist per population in different specialty groups varied from one province to another. Upon implementation of the Iran Roadmap, according to 2026 estimates, this dispersion will be reduced to some extent; however, part of the dispersion related to the regionalisation pilicy.  

---