Concluding Observation Committee on the Rights of the Child CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4 para
68(c)
Full recommendation
Take immediate measures to ensure that children with disabilities have access to health care,
including early detection and intervention programmes.
Assessment using Impact Iran human rights indicators1
Adopted in March 2018, the Comprehensive Law on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities
guarantees fundamental rights and privileges for persons with disabilities in areas such as access
to health care, accessibility, education, rehabilitation, and employment. While the law does not
specifically mention children, it protects the rights of all persons with disabilities.
According to Article 6 of the Law, the Ministry of Health is required to provide health insurance
coverage for persons with disabilities, in addition to the coverage provided by the Welfare
Organization.2 Though individuals with disabilities receive coverage from the Ministry of Health
and the Welfare Organization, reports indicate it remains limited and that families struggle to pay
the extra costs associated with health care services for individuals with special needs.3 The
continued struggle to pay for these costs suggests that the health insurance provided by the
Health Ministry and the Welfare Organization is insufficient.
As of February 2021, a number of programs targeting persons with disabilities are currently
implemented in Iran under the supervision of the department of Prevention of the Welfare
Organization. They notably include detection and intervention programmes or the Disability
Prevention Programs.4 Among them there are: Programs to prevent lazy eyes in order to reduce
blindness and low vision; Screening program for diagnosis and intervention during hearing of
infants and infants; Disability prevention awareness program; Program for the prevention of
disabilities caused by genetic disorders.
Statistics provided by the Welfare Organization5 indicate that, in 2019, the Organization
registered more than 1,590,000 people with disabilities. These statistics also show that at least
482,000 children with disabilities have been identified through the Community Based
1
CRC.25.S.1; CRC.25.S.2; CRC.28.1.S.1; CRC.28.4.S.1
CRC.25.P.1; CRC.25.P.3; ESCR.13.2.P.2
CRC.25.O.3; ESCR.13.1.O.3
2
< http://www.behzisti.ir/news/11913/ >
3
< https://www.parsnews.com/fa/tiny/news-289989 > and <https://shoaresal.ir/fa/news/81035/ >
4
http://www.behzisti.ir/news/24830/
5
https://www.behzisti.ir/news/11295/
1