Deep South calls in Iran to cure it's health blues

Deep South calls in Iran to cure it's health blues

www.timesonline.co.uk

A US doctor and a development consultant visited Iran in May to study a primary healthcare system that has cut infant mortality by more than two-thirds since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Then, in October, five top Iranian doctors, including a senior official at the health ministry in Tehran, were quietly brought to Mississippi to advise on how the system could be implemented there.

The Mississippi Delta has some of the worst health statistics in the country, including infant mortality rates for non-whites at Third World levels.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well who'd have thought!
This is certainly an encouraging sign of cooperation, all the more so as it seems to be happening behind the back of the government. In fact, what it does show is that people, ordinary people, can get along to work on problems and build bridges without the intervention or involvement of the government.
I'm sure that there are proably many within the state who, if they knew the Iranians were involved would be calling for blood and waving their little flags, such is the power of propaganda.
However, I wish the team working on this project every success.

It's just ironic that the US can have so much money to throw around starting anf fighting wars of aggression thousands of miles from their shores, while there is 3rd world level poverty and infant mortality rates within their own borders. It also speaks volumes about the level of health care!

www.timesonline.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Britguy



Nice find

Probably wont get many responses though as humanizing Iran is

not the flavour for this week

I hope though the Miss people can take away something from the

Iranian's to help them in their endevours of child care

Cool. US health care stinks. And thats the point of sharing. I hope US takes hints from other countries when they do better than the US at something. (Im a USA cit)

I agree, it is good to see something happening that is good in a world where there is just so much bad happening. I hope the exchange of ideas will prove to be fruitful.

Well Well isnt is this quite a sight, this same thing that happened, when Yugoslavia was getting attacked by american western media press, a Western Doctor showed up and claimed that infrastructure of the medical care in yugoslavia was very poor and thus he said he supported the bombing of Yugoslavia to fix it up.

Guess what happened afterwords? that doctor all of sudden went in hidden.

Guess history does repeat itself.

This what i call the claim before the storm, as in before they attack iran, the same tactics that was used for yugoslavia and iraq.

Hey thats great shows they are not the Devil like our Gov. wants them to be, glad this can be in the spotlight S&F

Mississippi is a huge HUGE Republican state, that is generally not wealthy, but also the political atmosphere is not, nor has it ever been, one for social programs to assist the poor.

The infant mortality rate is largely from inadequate public health problems to care for poor minorities and other impoverished people, because the state of Mississippi does not fund them properly. It has nothing to do with ignorance. Just greed and politics, and not wanting tax dollars to go to the "underserving poor".

Maybe they have called in Iran to try and learn how to operate and increase health care services on a shoe string....which is about all they are designated to have.

reply to post by Britguy


It is, of course, a little more like racial stereotyping to judge a whole people on the behavior of their leaders. But we all do this, even today and even in those so-called most advanced of nations.

The problem is one of nationalism and global politic. I personally don't see any problem with any people of any nation, though I do often disagree with the course set by their various leaderships and governments.

It proves that people can work together despite... or perhaps, in spite of their governments.

S+F for positive effort. Fascinating to have Southerner Reps and Iranians working together. Totally contrary to the fear/hate tone so popular on the Internet.

[edit on 20-12-2009 by Skyfloating]

Originally posted by Skyfloating
S+F for positive effort. Fascinating to have Southerner Reps and Iranians working together. Totally contrary to the fear/hate tone so popular on the Internet.

[edit on 20-12-2009 by Skyfloating]

It's encouraging to see these things happening. See, the vast majority of people are the same the world over. Take away the political and religious leaders, just let the people interact and cooperate and they will, most usually, find common ground and get along fine.

This is, of course, why the political and religious leadership have to keep control no matter what. They know people can get along, which makes them irrelevent and, more importantly, plainly a redundant concept. They'll instigate unrest and death merely to hold on to their power.

reply to post by Skyfloating


I agree that it's nice to see an article discussing a positive interaction between unlikely groups.

I'd also like to point out that what Iran did to remedy the situation was to tailor a healthcare solution to the demographic and geographic situation (rural populations) rather than attempt to apply one big bureaucratic blanket solution to the problem...which would have been a waste of money they don't have. That's something that can TRULY be learned from this article.

This is an actual real-life practicable solution rather than just throwing money at a problem.

I think we should learn all we can from anyone who is willing to help. be it Iran or whomever. Iran's population are really very nice & cordial people who I hope do not end up having to feel the wrath of US military action as a result of side-ways politics.

The truth is that the quality of life for the average Iranian has improved leaps and bounds under the Islamic Theocracy.

Iran was truly a pitiful 2 class state during the Shah’s rule with a small portion of society having every wealth and luxury and privilege and the multitude of the masses living in abject squalor below poverty.

It’s easy to knock Iran’s theocracy in part because it is a theocracy but for people who weren’t around 30-40 years ago to compare the reality of what the Shah’s pro-Western regime really was in terms of for the people in Iran themselves versus what they have today under the theocracy is a huge difference in the over all quality of life.

These advancements in public health are just one of many examples. I have no doubt that there are a number of Iranians who would prefer even more advancements in their society and to not live under a theocracy. It would truly be a shame in our haste though to go to extremes to reinstall a pro-Western government in Iran if it turned out to be so similarly corrupt as their last pro-Western Government and it just ended up degrading the quality of life for Iranians instead of improving it.

Ultimately Western Oil and Banking Interests would like to see the Shah’s son returned to the throne in Iran and while there is little doubt he would be as pro-West as his father there is every chance he would ultimately choose a similarly autocratic and corrupt style of leadership as his father did.

The Iranian people would be the worse for that and not the better. I think it is truly important to note that despite its religious underpinnings Iran’s Theocracy has greatly improved the quality of life for the vast majority of Iranians. I think its also important to realize in understanding that, that a vast segment of the Iranian population is no doubt grateful and loyal to that theocracy for those achievements.

People should really study more and think long and hard before getting on the lets attack Iran bandwagon.