IRAN

Tabriz Registry of Congenital Anomalies (TRoCA) was established in 2002. This is the first programme for the surveillance of birth defects including spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus and their families in the country.

TRoCA programme covers about 15,000 births (annual average) in the region with about 300–600 newborns with one of the congenital anomalies including spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus in this population. TRoCA has been financially supported by the local and national funds including some NGOs, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and Iran Ministry of Health.

Our programme is a member of three international entities. TRoCA has successfully been implementing some preventive programmes at the community level to reduce the occurrence and burden of congenital anomalies in the region. Over the past two decades, the programme has been involved in “primordial and primary” preventive activities for public, “secondary and quaternary” prevention training sessions for medical professionals, and “tertiary” preventive programmes for those working in disability management settings in the area.

Our programme was awarded (2020) the research prize & medal for the achievements in the field of birth defects in the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMRO) of the World Health Organization (WHO).