Responding to the health needs of the growing numbers of migrants and refugees worldwide requires an understanding of the health status of these populations, and their inclusion in public health policies and interventions. The scarcity of data on the health of migrants and refugees challenges evidence-informed policy making worldwide and continued efforts in generating data, information-sharing, and applying research to guide evidence-based policies are key to building people-centred, inclusive health systems that protect and promote the health of these populations.
Recognizing the need to foster knowledge-sharing in the Region of the Americas, on 16 May 2022 the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched the Information Platform on Health and Migration in the Americas, an easy-to-use interactive digital repository of key findings from research and other information on health and migration from across the Americas. The Platform includes interactive dashboards on policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks, as well as scientific literature on health and migration, aimed at all stakeholders involved in developing health and migration policies, laws, and programs. Intergovernmental organizations, health professionals, researchers, the private sector, universities, foundations, and nongovernmental and civil society organizations are also among the target audience of this new tool.
The launch of the Platform is aligned with global efforts to improve research, evidence and data gathering on health and migration, and is an important step towards meeting the priorities of the Global Action Plan “Promoting the health of refugees and migrants” (2019-2023), particularly the one on strengthening health monitoring and health information systems.
“Research and data are a priority globally and for all regions. The incomplete set of data currently available make it very difficult to use them for rational decision making or policy design. We are tyring to fill these gaps and the PAHO Platform can be a very important tool in this regard.” said Dr Santino Severoni, Director of WHO’s Health and Migration Programme, at the high-level event to launch the Platform. “The PAHO initiative has many benefits for WHO - for other regions and globally. We need to invest in such a good idea, and make it global and relevant for the whole Organization. I look forward to working together with the WHO Regional Office for the Americas to build on this experience.”
The PAHO Platform aims to galvanize actions towards removing barriers to access to health services for those migrants and refugees that still face restricted or no access to primary health care, medicines, vaccines and mental health services.
“As we look ahead, let us not forget that exclusion is costly and undermines our public health achievements to date,” said Dr Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO’s Assistant Director, during his welcoming remarks at the launch event. Dr Barbosa also emphasized that “the investments we make today must be made with a rights-based approach that supports the integration of migrants in national policies and legal frameworks, social protection measures, information systems, and preparedness and response plans.”
Ensuring that policies, laws and programs are designed to facilitate access to health services for migrants and refugees and fulfil their health needs requires engagement of several sectors and interest groups, including civil society, academia, the media, international organizations, community leaders, and coordination mechanisms and networks.
“The launch of the Platform is part of PAHO’s commitment to develop tools that help countries and partners advance in building inclusive social and health care systems that address the needs of all, especially those at greatest risk, such as many migrants in the region,” said Dr James Fitzgerald, Director of PAHO’s Health Systems and Services Department.
By providing existing information on policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks, as well as advances in research on various health topics, the Platform will be instrumental in understanding information gaps, trends, and available evidence on health and migration in the Region. The Platform also offers a way to facilitate analysis, guide initiatives on health and migration and identify key areas and points of collaboration.
“This initiative promotes the gathering and dissemination of evidence that supports Member States' decision-making processes and the implementation of interventions that improve migrants' access to health services, both in normal times and during public health emergencies,” said Dr Ciro Ugarte, Director of PAHO’s Health Emergencies Department.
Developed in collaboration with the University of Torcuato Di Tella in Argentina and the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile, the Platform will enable governments in the Americas to develop inclusive, evidence-based policies and initiatives that protect and promote the lives of millions of migrants and displaced populations and will support the design and implementation of public health interventions, research projects, and training activities in the months and years to come.