Access to healthcare services for Afghan refugees in Iran in COVID-19 pandemic.

Salmani, Ibrahim; Seddighi, Hamed; Nikfard, Maryam

In Iran, given the problems Afghan refugees face, special attention needs to be paid to this population in the coronavirus response. The first and ever-existing challenge is the lack of insurance and, consequently, high medical expenses.Other challenges can be mentioned as low level of education and consequently low health literacy, lower access to cyberspace, and not following coronavirus news which might be responsible for observing less safety and health procedures by the refugees.As the next drawback, a majority of refugees may live in groups in different parts of the city, especially in old areas and abandoned houses, which makes it difficult to control these people in the outbreaks, hence the need for accurate planning for monitoring.Given the above, it seems necessary for the Iranian government to take appropriate actions to assist the refugees. Full coverage of all refugees (legal and illegal) with health insurance seems to be essential. Advocacy in international assemblies to attract financial resources can be considered as a way to finance this issue. Free-of-charge treatment for infected refugees can be an alternative to reassuring refugees until full insurance coverage.