Strengthening public health responses to large numbers of arriving refugees and migrants

WHO supports countries to strengthen the capacity of their health systems to respond to large arrivals of refugees and migrants. To ensure continued access to health services, health systems have to be prepared to provide services to more people and to adapt to the needs of refugees and migrants.

Migration and displacement will continue to shape societies across the whole of the WHO European Region where an estimated 101 million migrants, including 12.5 million refugees, live. Large numbers of arriving refugees and migrants can strain national health systems. Anticipating and preparing for such situations is crucial to building health system resilience and protecting the right to health for all.

WHO supports the work of policy-makers, health planners, local health professionals and others who are responsible for providing quality health care to refugees and migrants. WHO works to develop expertise and capacity and to identify and fill potential gaps in health-service delivery, including the prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and management of disease.

WHO conducts assessments in countries that are receiving or may receive large numbers of refugees and migrants to coordinate the public health response to migration and displacement by identifying best practices and potential gaps in the public health sector, before establishing contingency plans.