On 20 June WHO joins the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – the UN Refugee Agency – and partners in marking World Refugee Day. This year’s campaign is all about health inclusion and solutions for refugees and their host communities.
Around the world, over 100 million people are forcibly displaced. This includes over 8 million people – mainly children, women and older people – who have fled Ukraine since February 2022 and over 3.6 million Syrians living in Türkiye, many of whom were affected by the 2023 earthquakes.
Refugees may have diverse health needs which must be met by giving them full access to critical services, including:
- mental health
- maternal and child health
- immunization
- sexual and reproductive health
- management for chronic diseases and disabilities.
Often the reality is that refugees struggle to receive care when they need it, during their journeys and having arrived in host countries, due to factors such as:
- lack of entitlements
- language challenges
- administrative and financial barriers.
Navigating a new health system can be difficult without the right support.
Integrating refugees into health systems benefits both the host and refugee communities
Enabling refugees to have full access to health care does not stop at granting formal entitlements but requires inclusive and non-discriminatory health services that are culturally sensitive. Evidence has shown that including refugees within host country health care systems:
- lowers health care costs in the long term
- contributes to economic growth
- promotes social cohesion and integration.
Generally, social inclusion and refugees’ integration in societies can promote better physical and mental health and well-being by reducing discrimination and exclusion, which contribute to poor health.
Innovative solutions to build more inclusive health systems
Some countries in the WHO European Region, supported by WHO/Europe, have explored promising, innovative solutions to make their health systems more inclusive.
- Poland started a hotline to provide comprehensive information on how to obtain a temporary medical licence, as well as information to Ukrainian refugees on how to navigate the Polish national health system.
- Greece produced podcasts and an online radio station, working with refugees for refugees to provide health information in five different languages (English, Greek, Farsi, Arabic and French), including topics such as maternal and newborn health, drug abuse, and hygiene practices.
- Romania and Greece employed refugees as cultural mediators to help arriving refugees navigate the health systems.
Integrating qualified refugees into the health workforce and as cultural mediators has many advantages.
- They can support refugees from their country of origin in navigating the new health system effectively, including by reducing cultural and language barriers.
- They can support stretched health systems in times of region-wide shortages of health professionals.
- Their skills remain up to date. As and when they return to their country of origin, their training and expertise can be crucial to rebuilding health services.
WHO’s support to countries receiving refugees
WHO needs to substantially increase its support to host countries. Currently, over 8 million people need to be reached in countries receiving refugees from Ukraine. At the same time, the 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic have devastated areas already hosting significant displaced populations. The UNHCR reports that among the more than 15 million people impacted in Türkiye, 1.7 million are Syrian refugees living under temporary protection, as along with the communities that have hosted them, many of whom are now also displaced.
The main priorities of WHO’s response in countries receiving refugees, including from Ukraine, will be to further strengthen refugees’ access to primary and emergency health care services, including provision of essential medical products, vaccines and technologies.
WHO/Europe will continue to:
- support health leadership and governance mechanisms to facilitate health sector reforms for refugees;
- provide technical and operational support to the health workforce, to facilitate provision of services to refugees; and
- provide information management, surveillance for evidence-based decision-making in public health, risk communication and community engagement.