The WHO Country Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in collaboration with the Health Network Management Centre at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME), supported a two-day training-of-trainers workshop on cause of death determination and medical death certification.

The 13 - 14 October workshop, hosted by Ardabil University of Medical Sciences in close collaboration with the Health Management and Social Development Research Centre affiliated to Golestan University of Medical Sciences, aimed to strengthen physicians’ knowledge and skills in accurately determining cause of death and completing medical death certificates.

The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Saeed Sadeqiyeh Ahari, Vice-Chancellor for Public Health at Ardabil University of Medical Sciences; Dr Jean Jabbour, WHO Representative in the Islamic Republic of Iran; Dr Babak Farokhi, Director-General of the Health Network Management Centre, MOHME. Dr Jaber Gharedaqi, Academic Member of the Forensic Medicine Organization; and Dr Ardeshir Khosravi, Director of the Secretariat for Research and Development in Deputy for Public Health, MOHME.

Dr Jabbour reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting national efforts to improve the quality and accuracy of cause of death certification and highlighted the importance of reliable mortality data for understanding population health, setting priorities and informing evidence-based health policies and planning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has made important progress in strengthening its death registration system, including using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and capacity-building for physicians and medical coders.