ReliefWeb:

The Islamic Republic is one of only a few countries to provide comprehensive medical insurance for refugees on the same basis as its own citizens.

Despite being partially blind since birth, Ali Hashemi works as a garbage collector in this small city near the Iranian capital Tehran to provide for his wife and three children.

While Ali takes his visual impairment in his stride, the significant costs of his medical treatment placed an ongoing strain on the family’s limited income. Ali sometimes waived his regular medical care in order to meet other basic needs for his children, such as transport to school and even nutritious food.

“I have to go to see the doctor regularly for check-ups and to get medication, but this wasn’t always possible. My family comes first for me – it will always be my obligation as a father and a husband to provide for them,” he explains.

Ali is one of close to one million Afghan and Iraqi refugees who have been living in Iran for as long as 40 years, having fled insecurity in Afghanistan.

Unfortunately, his wife fell ill last year and was diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, requiring surgery. Medical fees faced by the family suddenly became overwhelming. These were compounded when the hearing of Ali’s eldest son began to deteriorate, which demanded complicated corrective surgery at a specialized hospital in the city of Qom, south of the capital.

Fraught with worry over how he would be able to pay for two emergency surgeries, Ali approached UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, for help, and learned about the Universal Public Health Insurance (UPHI) programme. The ground breaking insurance plan enables Afghan and Iraqi refugees in Iran to access and benefit from a comprehensive insurance package similar to that received by Iranian nationals.

As a result of a partnership between UNHCR and the Government of Iran since the scheme was launched in 2015, Iran’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health and the Iran Health Insurance Organization are continuing their collaboration with UNHCR into 2020.

This ensures that subsidised hospital treatment such as surgeries, as well as medication and out-patient care can be offered to refugee families enrolled in UPHI across the country.

All refugees in Iran can enrol in UPHI by paying a basic premium rate. But 92,000 identified as particularly vulnerable -- including refugees, such as the Hashemis, with medical conditions requiring special treatment -- are excluded from paying any premium fees, as they are fully subsidised by UNHCR.

As a result, Ali and his family along with tens of thousands of other refugees across Iran have received the specialised treatment they need without having to resort to negative strategies in order to cope, such as loan-taking or pulling children out of school.

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