Iran: Entering the sixth month of crisis, MSF expands care for excluded communities

Six months into the crisis in Iran, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is responding to unprecedented demand for healthcare among refugees, migrants and other marginalised communities.

Between January and June 2026, MSF teams provided 84,615 consultations, which represents an 80 per cent increase compared to the full year of 2025.  MSF teams also recorded a 50 per cent increase in mental health consultations for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. The increase is driven by growing needs and barriers to public healthcare for refugees, migrants and other vulnerable people. 

During periods of intensified hostilities and ceasefire, the communities we support often face limited access to medical care” said Grigor Simonyan, MSF’s head of mission in Iran. “We have urgently scaled up core medical and mental health services to meet needs that continue to grow.” 

Consultations spiked during both intensified hostilities and ceasefire periods, prompting MSF to scale up services.” said Simonyan. ‘’While healthcare services focus on emergency and trauma care in conflicts, mothers still need to have antenatal care and older people still need non-communicable disease care. Especially those who are more vulnerable, with already limited access to healthcare.” 

Adapting services during escalation  

The health system in Iran has faced further strain from repeated escalations of violence since the start of the year. This has disrupted the continuity of primary healthcare services, particularly for communities that already had limited access. MSF ran four projects in Iran between January and June 2026, in Tehran, Mashhad and Kerman. In South Tehran, MSF provided primary healthcare through both fixed and mobile clinics. Services included medical consultations, mental health counselling and psychiatric care, sexual and reproductive health, and hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment.  

In Mashhad, near the border with Afghanistan, MSF continued to support refugees and marginalised communities through a fixed clinic, mobile clinics, and outreach in government-mandated drug rehabilitation centres. Teams provided medical and psychological consultations, follow-up for non-communicable diseases, referrals, community health promotion and hepatitis C services for high-risk groups, including people who inject drugs. Recently, MSF has extended services to a center that provides medical and mental health consultations, and referral services for the most vulnerable people. 

In Kerman in the southeast, MSF started operating a new primary healthcare clinic focusing on improving access to healthcare for refugees and migrants. The MSF clinic offers a package of care including general medical consultations, sexual and reproductive health, mental health and referrals to hospitals in the area. 

More access, better preparedness needed 

In February, MSF signed an Emergency Preparedness and Response Memorandum of Understanding with the Iranian authorities, to support emergency response efforts if needed. In response to growing needs, MSF launched a second project in Southwest Tehran at the end of April. The project focuses on primary healthcare for the general population. While emergency and trauma care were being managed by the Ministry of Health and the Iranian Red Crescent Society, primary and community health services required more attention. As part of its emergency response, MSF also donated non-food item kits and medical supplies to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, including outpatient department kits, paediatric kits, burn kits, emergency room kits and surgical kits. 

Currently the team is finalising assessments for a potential fifth project in Minab, Hormozgan province, focused on primary healthcare and mental health. MSF is also discussing further response options in Tehran with the relevant authorities.