The meeting was attended by the PIHO managing director and Board of Directors, CEO of Pars Oil and Gas Company as well as provincial and local directors of PIHO offices.
Habibollah Samie, Chief Executive of PIHO, said holding such meetings would largely contribute to correct planning based on identification of facilities.
Noting that the main approach pursued in the meeting was to allocate budget to different centers, he said: "The PIHO role in non-operating areas will be indirect and governing."
"We continue to be the health administrator of the extended family of petroleum industry and we independently provide healthcare services needed by the petroleum industry staff directly and indirectly," he added.
"Allocation of budget based on the performance of each area would bring about a competitive atmosphere and help update data and reports. In presenting these reports on a monthly or annual basis, these centers must show more precision and transparency," said Samie.
"It’s not the question of downsizing. It is rather providing services to match petroleum industry activities that would make PIHO more effective and agile," he added.
Samie referred to big cities where public and private healthcare services are available, saying: "In these areas, the PIHO priority is to target redundancy and it does no longer seek expanding structure."
"Agreements are signed with public and private sectors to provide services. Except for Tehran and Ahvaz where PIHO has subspecialty hospitals and are serving as supporting areas, most referrals are to these two hospitals," he said.
Samie said PIHO had founded occupational medicine, adding: "Special attention to occupational medicine to protect the staff health must be taken seriously. To that end, periodic examinations and interaction with the HSE departments of subsidiaries of Ministry of Petroleum must top the agenda."
He underscored the necessity of management of costs based on a strategic document instructed by Minister of Petroleum, saying: "Reconsidering revenues is one of important points in the management of budget and costs. In exchange for receiving cash from petroleum industry we have to provide acceptable and efficient services."
Samie offered gratitude to the staff for efforts undertaken over the past one year and called for serious review of budget allocation, supply of medications and equipment, conducting periodic exams and organizing centers that would party to contract with PIHO.

Staff Healthcare Schemes Welcomed

The managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) said the company is in charge of development of South Pars gas field which is currently supplying 65% of the country's gas demand.
"Since remaining phases of South Pars are to be developed and become operational in the near future, gas production from this reservoir will increase and subsequently the PGC activities will become more and more. Therefore, protecting the health of our staff is of high significance," said Mohammad Meshkinfam.
He said the POGC was mainly seeking to produce gas and supply fuel in the country, adding: "In order to realize this important objective, such issues as arrangement and coordination of research projects and upgrade of technology for maximum efficient recovery and bolstering qualified and professional manpower particularly young manpower and their employment at different levels of organizational activities are taken into consideration as part of missions assigned to the POGC."
Meshkinfam said: "Our efforts in the oil and gas production sector is based on the petroleum industry's strategic plan. Meanwhile we want mental and psychological health and safety of our staff be guaranteed as they are away from their family and their job is hazardous."
He said that the POGC welcomed any plan that would be in favor of petroleum industry staff's health.
Meshkinfam cited the inauguration of telemedicine project in a South Pars offshore platform, saying: "After the launch of telemedicine, the physical and mental safety of service workers on offshore platforms will be guaranteed. Cooperation between PIHO and petroleum industry companies would be very helpful effective for safeguarding the health of staff."

PIHO Focuses on Operating Areas

Mohsen Amirian, member of Board of Directors of the PIHO, said that much better services were required to be provided to oil service workers.
"That's because oil service workers are facing tough climatic conditions and heavy work and protecting their health is a must," he said.
"Since some affiliates of the Ministry of Petroleum have been privatized and the PIHO is required to safeguard the oil service workers' health, it is necessary for directors to focus on further provision of services in operating areas of petroleum industry, particularly in West Karoun, Pars Special Economic Energy Zone and Kharg," he added.
Amirian, who is charged with monitoring development projects in oil-rich areas, said health-oriented services would not be hived off to the private sector, adding: "But since the PIHO is tasked with taking care of the health of the petroleum industry whose governing role has declined in some sectors, as the population under coverage is declining in some areas direct healthcare services become more limited."
He said that new operating areas were envisaged in some spots like West Karoun, noting that the PIHO must become ready to provide services based on this new structure and circumstances.
"The PIHO presence in operating areas depends on the governing presence of the petroleum industry," he added.

Hospitals' Productivity

Majid Razzaqi, director of health at the PIHO, underscored the significance of performance of hospitals in providing services.
He also highlighted the necessity of appropriate planning for the effectiveness and productivity of hospitals, saying the hospital could be assessed through provision of services to patients.
He said that the healthcare services' performance depends on the patients' file report, adding that this report must be transparent in the 9 PIHO hospitals with regard to budget allocation.
"Since healthcare costs are gratuitous in the petroleum industry the fiscal systems must be reported based on received budget to see how much service has been done," said Razzaqi.
He insisted on the necessity of submission of reports in special time intervals, saying: "The submission of report about the PIHO-run areas particularly areas with hospitals based on provided services is very import and could highlight the significance of presence of this organization at the level of operating areas."
"Providing healthcare services and meeting the healthcare needs of staff and their families are the most important task assigned to the PIHO, which we hope will generalize through correct management and materialization of the PIHO motto, i.e. staff health improvement," he said.
During the two-day meeting, issues like the analysis of fiscal performance and budget allocation, pharmaceutical and medical equipment arrangement, arranging supervision on the development of available healthcare services, outsourcing, crisis and professional health management and HSE were discussed.
Directorates of health, planning, human resources and engineering & construction submitted their performance reports.