Participation of Iranian non-governmental organizations in health policy-making; barriers and strategies for development

The effectiveness of non-governmental organization (NGO) participation in the healthcare sector has been demonstrated globally. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the status of Iranian NGOs’ contribution to health policy-making, the barriers to and strategies for developing their contribution.,In this qualitative study, 25 participants were recruited from health-related NGOs in Tabriz, Iran. Semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted. Furthermore, a set of relevant documents were collected and their contents evaluated. The text of documents and interviews were analyzed using a thematic (deductive–inductive) approach using NVivo software.,Most NGO activity has been in the area of providing services, whereas the least amount of activity has been in the domain of policy-making. Factors that were influential for NGO participation in policy-making were divided into three categories: those related to government, to civil society and within NGOs themselves. The primary barriers to participation in policy-making were related to government and the way that NGOs operated. Recommendations include the production of supportive law, financial aid to NGO and infrastructure that facilitates NGO participation.,Financial support from the government and legislation of supportive laws could help to realize the potential of NGOs.,No such research has been undertaken before to evaluate what activities health-related NGOs undertake, their contribution in health policy-making and obstacles and facilitators of this contribution. NGOs can play a key role in ensuring accountability, transparency and empower citizens to demand basic health services from government.

• Publication year

  2020

• Venue

  Unknown venue

• Publication date

  2020-03-01

• Fields of study

  Political Science, Medicine, Sociology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1108/ijhg-07-2019-0056
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Finnish NGOs promoting health equity in the context of welfare economy.

  2019cited by this paper
• Effect of Charity Rehabilitation Centers on the Welfare of Mentally Disabled Children

  2016cited by this paper
• The role of non-governmental organizations in the mental health area: differences in understanding

  2016cited by this paper
• Democracy and the Distribution of NGOs Promoting Renewable Energy in Africa

  2015cited by this paper
• The role of non-governmental organizations in providing curative health services in North Darfur State, Sudan.

  2015cited by this paper
• NGOs and Health Services for Irregular Immigrants in Italy: When the Protection of Human Rights Challenges the Laws

  2015cited by this paper
• NGOs, States and Donors Revisited: Still Too Close for Comfort?

  2015cited by this paper
• The Quest for Accountable Governance: Embedded NGOs and Demand Driven Advocacy in the International Trade Regime

  2014cited by this paper
• ROLE AND PERFORMANCE OF IRANIAN NGOS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION

  2014cited by this paper
• Health care systems in low- and middle-income countries.

  2014cited by this paper
• Post‐Accession Policy‐Making in Bulgaria and Romania: Can Non‐state Actors Use EU Rules to Promote Better Governance?

  2014cited by this paper
• ‘Going private’: a qualitative comparison of medical specialists’ job satisfaction in the public and private sectors of South Africa

  2013cited by this paper
• Vertical funding, non-governmental organizations, and health system strengthening: perspectives of public sector health workers in Mozambique

  2013cited by this paper
• The role of non-governmental organizations in the social and the health system.

  2013cited by this paper
• Context matters in NGO-government contracting for health service delivery: a case study from Pakistan.

  2012cited by this paper
• THE INVESTIGATION SOCIAL CAPITAL WITH EMPHASIZETO NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION ROLE’S IN PREVENTION OF DRUG DEPENDENCY

  2012cited by this paper
• The role of breast cancer civil society in different resource settings.

  2011cited by this paper
• Role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) interventions on tribal health: Some annotations from grass root level

  2011cited by this paper
• Health policy processes in maternal health: a comparison of Vietnam, India and China.

  2011cited by this paper
• Governance beyond governments: the role of NGOs in the implementation of the FCTC

  2010cited by this paper
• Critically appraising qualitative research

  2008cited by this paper
• NGOs (Nongovernmental Organizations)

  2008cited by this paper
• Content Analysis. An Introduction to its Methodology – By Klaus Krippendorff From Words to Numbers. Narrative, Data and Social Science – By Roberto Franzosi

  2007cited by this paper
• Effectiveness of an NGO primary health care programme in rural Bangladesh: evidence from the management information system.

  2004cited by this paper
• Human Development Report 2002: deepening democracy in a fragmented world

  2002cited by this paper
• A framework for assessing the performance of health systems.

  2000cited by this paper

• The involvement of non-governmental organisations in achieving health system goals based on the WHO six building blocks: A scoping review on global evidence

  2025cites this paper
• Healthcare Financing in Syria: Exploring Good Alternative Financing Solutions—A Classic Delphi Study

  2025cites this paper
• Improving NGOs’ participation in implementing HIV preventive interventions: a case of adolescents with high-risk behaviors in Iran

  2025cites this paper
• Persistent Inequality: Understanding the Challenges Faced by Women in South Africa despite the Annual Celebration of Women's Day

  2024cites this paper
• Internal appraisal and performance of national non-governmental organizations in the health sector in Kenya

  2023influential citation
• Facilitators of improving the function of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Iran's health system

  2023cites this paper
• Strategies to strengthen non-governmental organizations' participation in the Iranian health system

  2022cites this paper
• Role of non-governmental organizations in moving toward universal health coverage: A case study in Iran

  2022cites this paper
• Role of nongovernmental organizations in Iran's health system: What do they do and what can they do?

  2022cites this paper
• Impact of Transformational Leadership on Project Success: The Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence of Leaders

  2022cites this paper
• Exploration of knowledge, attitudes, and perceived benefits towards nurse managers’ participation in the health policy-making process: a qualitative thematic analysis study

  2022cites this paper
• Interventions to increase participation of NGOs in preventive care: A scoping review

  2022cites this paper
• Designing a Framework for Attracting Public Participation in the Iranian Health System: A Comparative and Mixed-Method Study

  2022cites this paper
• Engagement of non-governmental organisations in moving towards universal health coverage: a scoping review

  2021cites this paper
• Participation of nongovernmental organizations in Iran's health-care system: challenges and suggestions for improvement

  2021cites this paper
• Challenges for Public Participation in Health Legislation in Iran: A Qualitative Study

  2021cites this paper
• Involvement of charities in Iran’s health care system: a qualitative study on problems and executive/legal/supportive requirements

  2021cites this paper
• Challenges of 21st-century health governance

  2020cites this paper
• Developing a model for partnership of non-governmental organizations in Iran’s health system

  year unknowncites this paper