As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to influence refugees and host communities within the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has introduced that an extra 20,000 refugees might be denied entry to the nation’s nationwide medical health insurance. We guarantee entry to the system. 120,000.
The medical health insurance will present much-needed entry to medical care to probably the most susceptible of the roughly 800,000 Afghan refugees in Iran, in keeping with authorities estimates. It is an object.
Last yr, UNHCR coated the premiums for round 100,000 susceptible refugees enrolled in Iran’s Universal Health Insurance (UPHI) program. However, because of the elevated vulnerability of refugees because of the coronavirus pandemic and the financial downturn in Iran, UNHCR has agreed to quickly enhance the variety of refugees eligible for the scheme.
Despite the difficulties, Iran has continued to generously present refugees with entry to schooling and well being companies. Iran is likely one of the few nations on this planet that provides refugees the choice of becoming a member of nationwide medical health insurance to obtain important secondary and tertiary public well being companies, much like Iranian nationals.
The National Insurance System gives free remedy and hospitalization for coronavirus infections. It additionally subsidizes the prices of surgical procedure, dialysis, radiology, scientific checks, outpatient remedy, and many others.
However, many refugees can not afford the premium prices. The influence of the pandemic on livelihoods has been notably acute for refugees, who sometimes depend on precarious and precarious work. Many are not in a position to cowl their most simple wants, a lot much less cowl the price of medical health insurance, which is estimated to account for about 40 p.c of the common refugee household’s month-to-month bills.
UNHCR predicts that in 2021 and past, fewer and fewer refugees will be capable of afford medical health insurance and will find yourself going with out remedy for pressing well being wants, taking up debt or sending their kids to medical establishments. There are issues that this may enhance. They solely work to earn cash for medical bills. As a end result, refugees might be left in an much more susceptible place.
At the identical time, towards the backdrop of rising wants, UNHCR’s funding for its response in Iran is changing into more and more constrained, hampering its potential to reply adequately to rising wants. Only 7% of UNHCR’s 2021 funding attraction of $97 million was funded.
In December 2019, UNHCR, in collaboration with companions, launched assist below the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees to attain extra equitable burden sharing and create actual options for displaced Afghans. Launched the platform. Health interventions for Afghan refugees in Iran are coated by this platform.
For extra data on this matter, please contact us under.
- In the case of Iran, Farha Boyrou; [email protected]+98 912 132 7183
- In Bangkok, Casita Lochanakorn, [email protected]+66 64 932 0803
- In Bangkok, Catherine Stubberfield; [email protected]+66 665 929 8062
- In Geneva, Babar Baroque, [email protected]+41 79 513 9549
- In New York, Kathryn Mahoney; [email protected]+1 347 443 7646