Saeedeh Saleh-Ghaffari, the CEO of the Iran Autism Association, announced that about four thousand children with autism in the country have halted their treatment process due to families’ financial inability and the lack of effective insurance coverage for treatment and rehabilitation costs. She added that about five thousand children are also not receiving rehabilitation services.
On Wednesday, December 24, Saleh-Ghaffari, in a meeting criticizing the performance of insurance companies, said that many families with autistic children are forced to personally pay all the heavy costs of treatment and rehabilitation, because insurance providers do not fully and consistently cover these services.
Regarding the costs, Saleh-Ghaffari said: “Educational and rehabilitation expenses for a child under seven years old on the moderate spectrum are at least 250 million rials per month (approximately 185 dollars). These children have specific dental and medical problems and often must be treated under anesthesia; the cost of treatment and anesthesia for each tooth reaches about 250 million rials.”
This is while the base monthly wage in Iran barely reaches 115 dollars per month.
She emphasized that treatment and rehabilitation costs should be borne by the government and that the Supreme Council of Health Insurance should set the tariffs. According to her, the current cost of each rehabilitation session in the private sector is close to 5 million rials (approximately four dollars), and families must receive at least 25 sessions.
Saleh-Ghaffari added: “For two years, these costs have not been properly paid by insurance companies, and families are forced to sell gold, cars, and even their homes.”
She stressed that the Social Security Organization and the Health Insurance Organization, both government-affiliated insurance bodies in Iran, must be held accountable in this regard.
Despite increased public awareness about autism, individuals with this disorder in Iran and their families still face numerous challenges in diagnosis, treatment, education, and government support.
Sina Tavakoli, the deputy for education, rehabilitation, and family health at the Iran Autism Association, said on April 14, during a meeting held on the occasion of Autism Awareness Month, that high costs have prevented many autism patients from receiving treatment.
At the same time, he stated that there are no precise statistics on the number of people with autism in Iran, but it can be said that more than 40,000 people have this disorder.
However, in another part of her December 24 remarks, Saleh-Ghaffari said that so far about 30,000 people with autism have been identified in Iran but estimates show that more than 100,000 others have yet to be identified.
Referring to the age distribution of those affected, she said that about two thousand and 500 of people with autism in the country are adults, for whom there is currently no designated authority and no defined services.
She added that in the field of adult autism, there are practically no specialized therapists.
According to her, more than seven thousand people with autism are being cared for at home, and the existing round-the-clock care centers are in no way sufficient to meet current needs.
