Hope away from home: health care access and solution for refugees
On 20 June, WHO joins UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and partners in marking World Refugee Day. This year's campaign focuses on the inclusion and solutions for refugees to ensure their access to health services anywhere, anytime.
An estimated 100 million people were forcibly displaced from their homes and communities by the end of 2022 due to conflict, violence, human rights violations, natural and human-generated disasters and, increasingly, from the consequences of climate change.
Refugees may have unique health needs due to their pre-existing health conditions, social circumstances, and the hazards they may face during their journey. They often face discrimination, isolation, inadequate access to health and social services, and poor working and living conditions, all impacting their health and well-being.
Faced with language, cultural and other barriers, refugees may not understand how different health systems work or what support they are entitled to. As a result, their needs and right to health may not be met.
Solutions to improve the health and well-being of refugees
Many governments and partners worldwide are working within and across countries to adopt strategies, policies, and plans to address many refugees' challenges and improve their health and well-being.
A new WHO compendium shows that at least 44 countries across the globe have adopted innovative and promising solutions to ensure access to health services for refugees in collaboration with partners, including WHO. Progress towards more inclusive health systems includes:
- Addressing noncommunicable diseases in refugee camps,
- Providing pregnancy care for refugee mothers-to-be,
- Prioritizing mental health care for vulnerable refugees and migrants,
- Promoting health insurance for asylum seekers and refugees,
- Expanding vaccination programs for vaccine-preventable diseases for all refugees and migrants.
Refugee health and global health and broader development
Refugees bring many skills that can benefit and enrich host countries and communities. They contribute to social and economic growth and development, and promoting their physical and mental health and well-being is a crucial enabling factor.
Promoting their health means ensuring continuous and timely access to quality health services and programmes that respect their cultural, religious, and linguistic needs and recognize displacement's impact on their physical and mental health.
Health workers that can identify and employ culturally-responsive behaviors, practices, and communications techniques in hosting and receiving countries play a vital role in providing people-centered health services and building the resilience of health systems to respond to the health needs of these populations.
WHO's work
WHO assists countries in reorienting health systems towards including refugees in primary health care as a foundation of universal health coverage. This involves providing inclusive and integrated health services to meet people's health needs throughout their lives; addressing the root causes behind poor health outcomes, including critical non-medical factors such as education, income, employment and working conditions, and social support networks through policy and action that go beyond the health sector; empowering individuals, families, and communities to take charge of their health.
WHO supports Member States by setting norms and standards on the health of refugees and migrants, co-developing guidance and tools, and promoting global, regional, and national research agendas for evidence-informed policy-making and interventions.
The first Global Research Agenda on Health and Migration led by the Health and Migration Programme (PHM) in 2022 and 2023 aims to strengthen global collaboration around health and migration research and improve the translation of knowledge into policy and practice, driving evidence-informed research that addresses the evolving challenges and health needs of refugees and migrants.
WHO also develops methodologies and platforms to monitor progress and trends on migration-related health issues. The Global data initiative on refugee and migrant health led by the WHO PHM is developing a roadmap to strengthen health information systems to monitor and support progress in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other relevant global targets and priorities, including the WHO Global action plan on promoting the health of refugees and migrants. The initiative aims to build on all the existing works and efforts and complement similar actions by other United Nations agencies, to develop a global dataset on the health of refugees and migrants, highlighting any inequities as well as keeping awareness of the sensitivities of their needs along the life-course and all along their journey.