Migration and health

Technical briefingDr. Santino Severoni MD. MHECoordinator Public Health and Migration

Division of Policy and Governance for Health and Well-being European Office for Investment for Health and Development

WHO Regional Office for EuropeVenice, Italy

sev@euro.who.int http;//www.euro.who.int

Data, perceptions and facts• European Region undergoing important demographic and

epidemiological changes

• 214 mil International migrants • (3% of global population UNPD data)

• 740 mil. Internal migrants (UNPD data)

• 8% of the WHO European Region’s total population are migrants

• Political and communication sensitivity

WHO European Region53 Member States, 886 million people

• Variation in GDP/person/year (2009):

- Tajikistan $ 1,900 [rank192]

- Luxembourg $ 104,000 [rank 3]

77 million migrants in WHO EURO Region, (36% of global migrants population)

Health and Migration, a multisectoral agenda

• Ministry of Interior • Ministry of Labour• Ministry of Social Affairs• Ministry of Foreign Affairs• Ministry of Health• Ministry of Education

Migration approach and complexity

There is an increasing attention on immigration issues but dominant emphasis is still on restriction, control and expulsion

Health is influenced by many factors and policies run by institutions out of the health sector that do not always take into account the health impact of their action

Health Access

Security measur

es

Human Rights

National Regulatio

n

Legal framework for health care access

• Key question is the legal provision of access to health care for undocumented migrants

• Documented migrants are entitled to access the health

care system, (with specific rules depending on their legal status as permanent settlers, temporary workers, refugees, asylum seekers, etc)

7

Resolution WHA 61.17

Calls for: Migrant-sensitive health policies Equitable access to services Information systems to assess migrant health Sharing information on best practices Raising cultural and gender sensitivity and specific training of health

service providers and professionals Bi/multilateral cooperation among countries Reducing the global deficit of health professionals

2009: 62nd WHA Resolution on “Reducing health inequities through action on the social determinants of health” Takes notes of the recommendations of the CSDH

2010: 63rd WHA resolution focus on the health of the most vulnerable through constant monitoring of the achievement of the health-related MDGs

PHAME Project

Public Health Aspects of Migration

in Europe

Public Health priorities

HEALTH ISSUES STEMMING FROM MIGRATION

• Migration policy and integration• Access to health services and overcoming health

system access barriers (cultural, social and linguistic)

• Health System capacity & Economic impact• State of health of migrants: changing health

profile, CD & NCD, re-emerging neglected diseases• Health risk assessment, expose to hazards and

public health implication for migrants and resident community

• Public health data collection/generation

The data problem• The lack of available data and variation from country to country in terms of data collection mean that there is no simple set of data. • Major differences in data availability across WHO EURO Region• incompatibility of sources, as well

as conceptual and definitional problems

What is next?Mainstreaming

Health & Migration work

TechnicalAssistance to

MS

Health Information

SystemBest practices

EU Presidency

UN CIS SEEHN

Common Strategy

Ministerial Meeting

RC

WHO EURO Regional

Action Plan

WORK

ON

WO R K

W I TH

OPPORTUNITIES