Journal of School of Public Health and

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Background and Aim: Intersectoral Collaboration and Community Participation are two main strategies for sustaining equity in health. Based on the 4th 5years country development plan, Health and Food Security High Council(HC) as a strategy for developing intersectoral collaboration. Reviewing members' opinions of HC may show the clear way of improving intersectoral collaboration for health promotion of the population to senior officials of Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive and qualitative study. Information were gathered by structured interview to HC members and content analysis of the documents and gray materials related to initiation and performance of the HC since it's opening. Content analysis and adding up the interviews were done by hand after defining the main domains. Results: Most of HC members believed that the HC effectiveness is very low or low. For the 1st step, defining health priorities and then responsibilities and expectations of each organization were proposed. Organizations necessity to introduce a sustained representative, creating taskforces for deep working on the issues, regular meeting in secretariat, concurrent information sharing to the members, strengthening similar structure in provinces and giving more authority to them and connecting the council to the scientific committees of health elites are main improvement approaches. Conclusion: There is gap between the performance of the HC and the law makers' expectations. Implementing secretariat of HC including expertise and special working system of intersectoral collaboration will mostly cover the weakness. Defining periodical roles and expectations of organizations and capacity building of health collaborators of the ministries and organizations, and incentivizing organization which have effective contribution, will strengthen and continue the collaboration more.

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Background and Aim: One of the main functions of municipalities, as a social institution, is providing, maintaining and improving health of citizens. Scattered attempts have been made with the objective of expanding equitable health service networks in cities, particularly suburban areas. The present study aimed at designing an integrated system for urban health managent center.

Material and Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical study. Based on the viewpoints of experts and relevant stakeholders, global evidence, national experience, and existing legislations, a conceptual framework for designing an urban health management center was developed and requirements for its implementation were determined. On the basis of the conceptual framework, regulations for designing model for a regional urban health management center (RUHMC) was prepared.

Results: The proposed model has 5 important characteristics which would provide an excellent opportunity as a response to the existing challenges of the health network in cities through active participation of the municipality, as a social institution, and other organizations:

                    1. Facilitating intersectoral collaboration, as against individual movements of the

 governmental health sector;   

2.   Defining and providing social health services and influencing the social determinants of health components;

3.   Providing active, rather than passive, services;

4.   Decentralization by forming a board of trustees and/or coordination council;

5.   Direct community participation in all phases, from decision-making (membership in the coordination council) to service provision.

Conclusion: Pilot implementation and evaluation of the proposed RUHMC model is recommended before expanding it to other parts of the city. In addition, it is essential that, before expanding the model to the other cities, the final regulations be examined and ratified by the High Council of Health and Food Security.

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Background and Aim: For achievement of equity in the population health the implementation of health in all policies is essential. The most crucial intervention in this approach is inter-sectoral collaboration.
 Materials and Methods: This was a qualitative study based on the national policy framework. Data were collected using literature review, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with the stakeholders. The results were categorized into three sections, namely, situational analysis and factors affecting it, developing goals and objectives, and requirements and interventions.
 Results: Currently inter-sectoral collaboration in the Iranian health system potentially allows to have health in all policies policy in terms of explicit legislative support, national macro-policies/upstream documents and organizational structure. It will require proper planning as regards designing and institutionalizing appropriate mechanisms for collaboration, as well as cultural and skills capacity building, for stakeholders within and outside the health sector.
Conclusion: The findings of this study can be used in annual operational planning of the High Council of Health and Food Security secretariat.