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Evaluation report

2002 IRN: Report on Measures to Meet a Refugee Influx as a Result of Crisis Condition in Iraq

Author: Shadpour, K.; Pileroodi, S.

Executive summary

Background:

Under the political and social crises in Iraq during recent years, especially the crisis in the eastern and northern regions of that country, the western provinces of Iran have been heavily confronted with an influx of refugees from Iraq. As a consequence of these repeated crises, a total of approximately one million Iraqi refugees fled to Iran. Due to high possibility of another crisis in the close future in Iraq in 2002, this desk review was planned with the aim of gathering all the available information from past experiences and the current situation for further use in the Iraq crisis contingency planning.

Purpose/Objective:

1. To report on the past experiences of the health sector in Iran regarding the Iraq crisis
2. To report on the present situation of the Western Provinces
3. To report on the health problems common to all refugees residing in the camps

Methodology:

Desk review, using all official available information.

Findings and Conclusions:

As a consequence of the past repeated crises in Iraq, a total of approximately one million Iraqi refugees fled to Iran. The total number of Iraqi refugees (inside and outside the camps) presently exceeds 100,000. Less than 46,000 of them are living in the camps; about 80% of these refugees are Arabs and the rest are Kurds. Vulnerable groups among the Iraqi refugee population is estimated as follows:

• Pregnant women - 25 per thousand
• Children under one year of age - 25 per thousand
• Children under 5 years of age - 150 per thousand
  Women volunteering for family planning - 160 per thousand
• Students - 300 per thousand
• Unaccompanied children - 1 to 2 per thousand
• Elderly persons , 65 years and above - 30 per thousand

In view of past experiences, the following diseases are expected to be prevalent in the Camps: diarrhoeal diseases, bronco-pneumonia (especially bronco-pneumonia resulting from measles), depression, snake bites and scorpion bite, accidents resulting from mines, leschmaniasis, meningitis and typhoid.

Recommendations:

1. Coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy, the Red Crescent, and agencies of said organisations in those provinces likely to be involved with the issues, and also in those provinces the refugees may be moved to, that is, Lorestan, Zanjan, and the Central Province.
2. Agreement with the organisations working in partnership to share duties.
3. Agreement in estimating the number of refugees likely to seek asylum as a consequence of future events.
4. Procurement of deficiencies at the camps currently in use as well as those that formerly were active, and offering a plan for the development of the camps or the establishment of new camps.
5. Agreement on the procurement of materials, food supplies, and facilities that are likely to be needed urgently over the first few days.
6. Assigning the personnel who are to be sent to the health units, and training them.
7. Providing a list of facilities needed for the continuation of the work.

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