The Universal Public Health Insurance, or 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 enroll in UPHI by paying a basic premium rate. But 92,000 identified as particularly vulnerable — including refugees, with medical conditions requiring special treatment — are excluded from paying any premium fees, as they are fully subsidised by UNHCR.
As a result, 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 to work.
Lauding this exemplary government-led initiative, UNHCR Representative in Iran, Ivo Freijsen, appeals to the international community to further recognise the government’s ongoing commitment to enhancing refugees’ access to affordable healthcare and other basic services.
“Not only has the government — as well as Iranian communities — generously hosted such a large refugee population for four decades, Iran continues to work with UNHCR to invest in and to enhance its progressive refugee-related policies under the umbrella of the regional solutions strategy for Afghan refugees, ” he said.
UNHCR’s Annual Public Health Global Review, which was published last week, highlighted significant progress made on the inclusion of refugees into national health systems, with some countries also making notable efforts to expand opportunities to include refugees in health insurance schemes and other pillars of social protection.
Freijsen reiterated the need for sustained international support and to further expand refugees’ inclusion into national services in line with the Global Compact on Refugees, which was affirmed at the UN General Assembly in December 2018.
“I call on donor countries to deliver robust support to the Government of Iran at this critical time to further acknowledge the considerable investments Iran has made in spearheading this insurance scheme, which is just one example of its inclusive policies,” he concludes.
Original source: UNHCR
Published on 24 July 2019
