The Islamic Republic of Iran hosts a large community of migrants and provides a wide range of services to Afghan migrants across the country. Yet, some of the Afghan migrants face challenges in accessing some services.

Since 2013, in partnership with the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and an Iranian NGO, the Society for Recovery Support (SRS), the ICRC has been providing basic health services to vulnerable Afghan migrants and their host communities in the outskirts of Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi province—a major entry and settlement area for them in Iran.

Over time, the focus expanded to include primary healthcare services, the development of referral systems to secondary care, hygiene and health education, and harm reduction services. More recently, the quality of care for vulnerable migrants with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) like diabetes, hypertension, and respiratory disorders like asthma has significantly improved through standardized care practices, tailored training programs, and family-based approach.

 

In 2024, the ICRC, in cooperation with the SRS and IRCS:

  • Continued to provide a range of services in addition to above mentioned services some of which are harm reduction for drug users, care for high-risk pregnancies, and community education on health issues for prevention purposes, as well as broader community support and social work activities.
  • Organized a Diabetic Foot Training program for all SRS staff in Mashhad to enhance their knowledge and improve the quality of care for NCD patients.
  • The Primary Health Care (PHC) team:
    • Provided a total of 12,060 consultations
    • Organized 97 group training sessions conducted by medical professionals
    • Made 1,748 referrals for para-clinic services
  • Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS):
    • 2,078 individuals received MHPSS at both PHC and community levels
  • At the PHC level:
    • 2,426 individual MHPSS sessions provided to 882 cases
  • At the community level:
    • 338 focused Mental Health awareness and Psychosocial support sessions were held
    • And 1,196 individuals were benefited