Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

 

 

 

 

 

 

Report from: Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, International Affairs Office

Published on: 21 October 2023

 

 

Nowadays, more than 55% of the world's population lives in cities. Alongside the well-being and comfort that cities provide, urban living poses its own unique challenges. Physical and social factors such as healthcare services, the environment, the economy, population growth, education, housing quality, etc., directly or indirectly impact human health.

 

Inequity in social and economic domains leads to injustice in health. The healthcare sector alone lacks sufficient capacity to manage all the factors that affect health. The Healthy City Program is a dynamic movement and a suitable platform for:

 

1. Enhancing the commitment of senior managers through solidarity and active collaboration between sectors.

2. Coordinating and synergizing among program partners and key Executives based on a roadmap and shared objectives, with a focus on improving safety and public health.

3. Promoting community participation.

 

 

Healthy City

 

A healthy city is one that, through continuous development of its physical, social, and environmental conditions and optimal utilization of resources and facilities, creates an environment for collective participation, supporting mutual assistance and enhancing local capacities. A society supports people in improving their health levels and developing their abilities by promoting and developing the social and environmental aspects of health. A healthy city is not one that has achieved an ideal state or level of health.

 

 

The approach seeks to put health high on the political and social agenda of cities and to build a strong movement for public health at the local level. It strongly emphasizes equity, participatory governance and solidarity, intersectoral collaboration and action to address the determinants of health.

A healthy city is:

- Sensitive to health issues and strives for their improvement.

- Continuously developing its physical and social environment.

- Recognizes the importance of health in all policies and programs.

- Any city, regardless of its current health status, can join the healthy city movement. It seeks to prioritize health in political and social agendas.

- Emphasizes increasing the power and role of managers and decision-makers at the local level in health matters.

-The program emphasizes justice, intersectoral collaboration, and community participation in responding to social determinants of health.

- Focuses on local capacities and potential to improve health.

- People's role as key stakeholders in planning, implementing, and monitoring health programs is crucial.

• Becoming a healthy city depends not only on healthcare infrastructure but also on a commitment to improving the physical aspects of a city and a willingness to establish necessary connections in social, economic, and political spheres.
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Actions of the Healthy City Program:

- Political support and commitment.

- Intersectoral collaboration.

- Community participation and social interactions among different groups.

- Prioritizing health in all development policies.

- Local innovation and initiatives to promote health.

- Monitoring and evaluation of actions and programs.

- Using of the experiences of other cities and exchanging information.

 

 

About Suran District:

 

The Suran District, with an area of approximately 8,800 square kilometers, is located in the southeastern part of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, about 20 kilometers from the border with Pakistan. Suran District is located 335 kilometers from the provincial capital, Zahedan. The county has a common border with Kash County to the North, Pakistan to the East, Iranshahr County to the West, and Pakistan and Sarbaz County to the South. Suran District established as a county in 2007 and currently oversees the municipal affairs of the city of Hidouj.

 

 

The historical attractions, tourist sites, and landmarks in the district include the Sib and Kent historical castles.

The population of the district is 109,550, with 21,816 residing in urban areas and 87,423 in rural areas. The total number of households in the county is 26,984, with 5,000 and 19,616 urban and rural households respectively. The population density is 10.93 persons per square kilometer. The predominant language spoken in the county is Balochi. The majority of the population relies on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihoods.

 

The county has 11 urban and rural healthcare centers, two urban health post, and 54 rural health houses.

 

The population of the city of Suran is 19,568, with 4,443 households.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actions taken to implement the Healthy City Program in Suran:

 

- Meeting to garner support for the Healthy City Program at the Suran District Governor Office

Nominating Suran District as a candidate for the Healthy City Projects implementation in Iran, the first meeting to garner support was held at the Suran District Governor Office on April 20^th of 2023, with the presence of members of the City Administrative Council.

At the beginning of the session, Mr. Kurd, the Head of the Suran District Health Center, provided a general overview of the city of Suran and its capacities and capabilities for implementing the Healthy City program. Following that, Ms. Keykhaei, the head of the Health Promotion Department, Vice Chancellery for Health, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences presented information regarding the mission of health promotion and the objectives of the Healthy City program.

At the end of the meeting, the participants expressed their readiness and their organizations to contribute to the successful implementation of the program. They provided suggestions and opinions related to the implementation process in the city of Suran, including necessary measures for building a green city with appropriate visual structures and promoting healthy behaviors such as bike riding tracks, ….etc.

 

- In order to organize he implementation of project specialized committees established the local authorities assigned to each committee by a formal decree from the Governor Office:

 

The activities that already been started include:

 

- Preparation of a city profile.

- Implementation of intervention programs.

- Engaging the participation of health benefactors.

- Improvement of built environment in the city.

 

 

Copyright © 2023 Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, All rights reserved. Date updated: 21/10/2023

Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us on: internationaloffice@zaums.ac.ir