Refugees’ experiences of healthcare in IRAN: A qualitative study

Abstract

Abstract Quality of life is referred to as the trend of social issues such as consumption, income, education, housing, and health and medical care. However, this is less common in the lives of immigrants in the 21st century. We aimed to examine the quality of life from the participants' perspective based on the lived experiences of the refugees living in the UN camp in Sarvestan, Iran. In this qualitative content analysis study, in-depth and semi-structured interviews with 15 residents of the Afghan camp were performed. Data analysis yielded 415 open codes, and three issues appeared. Level 3 or the main challenges were achieved in 3 levels: quality of life, quality of services, and obstacles and shortcomings. Sub-topics related to the quality of life included health, security, tranquility, economic status, social acceptance, and education. Sub-issues related to service quality in various forms include comprehensiveness of service, accessibility, usefulness, and appropriateness. Sub-topics related to obstacles included financial deficiencies, social barriers, and cultural-ethnic problems. The immigrants' demands for improving the quality of life included providing services to high-risk groups of refugees, continuing the education of the youth and adolescents, providing necessary equipment and settings for health and culture, and improving the employment status.