Firoozabadi Medical Education Center

The Meeting of Hospital Management with the Presence of Vice Chancellors of Iran University of Medical Sciences

According to the Public Relations Office of the Vice Chancellor for Treatment at Iran University of Medical Sciences, Dr. Ali Moshki, Vice Chancellor for Treatment, emphasized the importance of these meetings, stating: “We ask hospital directors to attend these meetings regularly. These sessions contribute to managerial improvement, increased motivation, and better communication between directors. It is also expected that the outcomes of these meetings will lead to the progress and development of hospitals.”

He further explained about the supervisory visits, saying: “Comprehensive performance evaluations of medical centers were conducted monthly. Over a one-year period, we, along with senior managers of the Vice Chancellor for Treatment, visited all medical centers. During these visits, managers from other departments such as Food and Drug Administration, Technical Office, and Inspection Department were also present. They examined challenges up close and worked on resolving issues. At a higher level, some of these problems were raised in the board of directors, and decisions were made by the university president.”

Dr. Moshki added: “We intend to begin a new round of visits with a smaller group consisting only of experts from the Vice Chancellor for Treatment. We will revisit the challenges identified earlier and ask directors to submit reports on the actions taken to resolve these problems.”

The Vice Chancellor for Treatment also announced the launch of nighttime surprise inspections and stated: “Experts from the Emergency Medicine Department of the Vice Chancellor for Treatment and the university’s emergency medicine specialists have formed the Nighttime Inspection Team for medical centers. Starting from the beginning of Dey (December 22), this team has been conducting surprise evening and nighttime visits to hospital emergency departments, thoroughly examining all aspects of the emergency services and striving for improvements.”

He also called on hospital directors to conduct internal inspections of their medical centers along with their nursing managers. They were asked to visit the medical wards, assess their condition, and submit monthly reports of their observations and inspections to the Vice Chancellor for Treatment.

The Vice Chancellor also spoke about the hospitals’ outstanding claims from insurance companies, stating: “To overcome this issue, we must focus on wealth creation ourselves. Through proper planning, we can establish VIP wards and attract international patients (IPD) to generate revenue.”

Dr. Moshki also instructed hospital directors to promptly inform the Vice Chancellor for Treatment of any disease outbreaks or any significant changes in their medical centers so that necessary actions can be taken.

In continuation, Dr. Gholamreza Biazyan, Vice Chancellor for Education, announced the initiation of the educational accreditation process for hospitals starting in February. He said: “Our expert team at the Vice Chancellor for Education has started inspecting the on-call accommodations of medical centers to assess the trainees’ welfare conditions. Additionally, the assessment of hospitals with a focus on education is ongoing to address shortcomings and achieve a desirable score during the accreditation process.”

He praised the high quality and standards of Firouzabadi Hospital, noting: “In the past, medical students and interns were not keen on working and training at Firouzabadi Educational Center, often preferring other medical centers. However, with the changes that have occurred at this center, we now see that higher-ranking trainees, such as residents and subspecialists, are choosing this center for their education.”

The Vice Chancellor for Education also referred to the recent opening of the educational building at Firouzabadi Educational and Medical Center and said: “With the inauguration of this new educational building, which includes three large smart classrooms, a cafeteria, and changing rooms for trainees, the quality of education and welfare has improved, encouraging more trainees to select this center.”

At the beginning of the session, Dr. Ali Tayebi, Director of Firouzabadi Hospital, elaborated on the hospital’s expansion phases. He said: “With the help of philanthropists, we were able to purchase some medical equipment, and with the opening of the angiography department, we now serve cardiac patients. Additionally, we are working on procuring an endoscopic ultrasound machine and establishing an active gastroenterology ward. With the launch of this ward, patients will no longer need to travel to Tehran, as comprehensive medical services will be provided in this area.”

Dr. Tayebi pointed out the shortage of special beds in this medical center and said: “With the opening of the ICU ward last week, which includes 20 beds and is expandable to 24 beds, the number of special beds has now reached an optimal level.”

He also mentioned the activation of the laboratory at the medical center, adding: “Our sample collection service for patients is no longer limited to 2 PM, which has helped attract more patients from the region. Additionally, the launch of a specialty clinic was another initiative to draw more patients to this center. Initially, due to negative experiences with delayed payments in other centers, physicians were reluctant to work in the evening shifts. However, after a few months of timely payments, they were encouraged and are now willingly seeing patients until 7 PM. This initiative has increased our bed occupancy rate to over 80%, and we are successfully attracting a large number of patients to this center.”

Dr. Tayebi highlighted the shortage of nursing staff as one of the major challenges of this medical center and stated: “Due to the lack of nursing staff, we have been unable to activate the beds in our International Patients Department (IPD). Additionally, since the beginning of the year, 39 nurses have left to work in other universities. We hope to recruit more nurses in the upcoming recruitment process.”

In continuation, Peyman Namdar, Vice Chancellor for Development, discussed the benefits of service procurement, saying: “Iran University of Medical Sciences has had good experiences in service procurement, as evidenced by the Moheb Kosar Hospital and Madad Pharmaceutical Complex.”

He emphasized the need to improve infrastructure in medical centers, adding: “Constructing buildings is visible and receives praise, but improving infrastructure often goes unnoticed. Some of our hospitals have outdated infrastructure that requires renovation and improvement. Therefore, centers should prioritize upgrading their infrastructure.”

Namdar also highlighted the importance of building daycare centers in public hospitals affiliated with the university, saying: “Establishing daycare centers can reduce staff concerns and increase their motivation at work.”

In continuation, Dr. Seyed Reza Motamedi, Director of Disaster and Emergency Medicine at the Vice Chancellor for Treatment, spoke about crisis management efforts, stating: “During crises, medical centers are the first places to become overcrowded and go on high alert. Therefore, we must be prepared for crises. Water storage and generator diesel supplies should always be ready. Ambulance fleets should be renovated, and issues with ambulances must be resolved.”

He announced the formation of a Rapid Response Team and called on hospital directors to undergo crisis training and conduct table-top drills.

Dr. Motamedi further emphasized the need for planning to increase capacity, identifying internal and external risks, and signing agreements with other organizations to utilize their resources during crises.

He also requested university administrators to allocate budgets for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and stressed the importance of equipping crisis managers with tools like radios and satellite phones to maintain communication during emergencies. He also emphasized building standard helipads in new medical centers.

Additionally, Dr. Motamedi announced the selection of Firouzgar, Rasoul Akram (PBUH), Shahid Haftom Tir, and Shahid Yaftabad Hospitals as referral centers during crises, explaining their specific roles:

• Firouzgar and Rasoul Akram Hospitals: Large spaces suitable for adding beds and storing equipment.
• Shahid Haftom Tir Hospital: Designated as the trauma center.
• Shahid Yaftabad Hospital: Specializing in burn care as the referral center for burn patients during crises.

The session also featured remarks from other speakers, including Dr. Hassan Amiri, Acting Director of Rasoul Akram Hospital and Executive Advisor to the Acting President of Iran University of Medical Sciences; Saeed Rostampour, Director of Human Resources at the university; and Dr. Mohammad Mahdi Mojahedian, Acting Vice Chancellor for Food and Drug Administration.