Urban refugees and asylum seekers in Iraq, who represent two-thirds of the total refugee population, benefit from free access to public health services at primary, secondary, and tertiary, in levels in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, at par with the local population. Refugees in camps also benefit from free access to primary healthcare through camp-based health centres or nearby public health facilities supported by UNHCR and other UN agencies, as well as secondary and tertiary public health services.

As part of UNHCR’s strategy to enhance refugee inclusion into public health services and eliminate parallel refugee-only systems, UNHCR seeks to gradually integrate the primary health care services in refugee camps with the national health system.

UNHCR also supports integrated health centres in the camps and urban areas to ensure they can provide essential primary health care services. This includes the provision of medicines and medical supplies, enhancing the capacity of the Directorate Health staff through capacity-building activities, and ensuring referrals of emergency cases from refugee camps to public hospitals.