Research network on migrant health

Copenhagen, 13th September 2007

David InglebyBuilding European networks

for migrant and minority health

www.ercomer.eu/ingleby

Collaborations with Dr. Charles Watters, University of Kent (European Centre for the study of Migration and Social Care

(MASC), Canterbury, England)

1. From 1998: Development of European Masters course on “Migration, mental health and social care” (Universities of Kent, Utrecht and Örebro), with grant from EU Erasmus programme.

European Masters Course

• Has been running since 2000 in 3 countries• Grant awarded by EU in 2006 for extension of the

network to 13 countries.• Curriculum will be broadened to cover all aspects

of health care and ethnic minorities (e.g. Roma) as well as migrants.

• Different modalities of participation

Collaborations with Dr. Charles Watters, University of Kent (European Centre for the study of Migration and Social Care

(MASC), Canterbury, England)

1. From 1998: Development of European Masters course on “Migration, mental health and social care” (Universities of Kent, Utrecht and Örebro), with grant from EU Erasmus programme.

2. From 2002: Joint project on ‘good practices’ for the European Refugee Fund

Good Practice in Mental Health and Social Care for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (2002-2003)

 

Project leaders:Charles Watters, David Ingleby

Research assistants:Mariola Bernal, Claudia de Freitas

Marlous van Leeuwen, Nina de RuukDominique Le Touze, Soumha Venkatesan

  

 Financed by The European Commission, European Refugee Fund, University of Kent and Utrecht University (2002-2003)

 Final report can be downloaded from www.ercomer.eu/ingleby

 

The ’good practice’ project

• Surveyed the UK, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.

• Limited to refugees and asylum seekers, but it became obvious that the provisions for all kinds of migrants needed to be studied.

• Developed a grid for the study of health and social care provisions.

…..continued

• 2004: joined IMISCOE (EU 6th Framework Network of Excellence in the domain of International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion)

Current members of the IMISCOE Health group

David InglebyEuropean Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER),

Utrecht University, Netherlands 

Jeffrey ButlerDepartment of Health and Social Services, District of Berlin-Mitte, Berlin, Germany

 

Milena ChimientiSwiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies, NeuchâtelDepartment of Sociology, University of Geneva, Switzerland

 

Carin Björngren Cuadra & Ramin Baghir-Zada International Migration and Ethnic Relations, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden

 

Claudia de FreitasEuropean Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER),

Utrecht University, Netherlands 

Panos Hatziprokopiou Social Policy Research Centre, Middlesex University, London, England

 

Meghann Ormond Centro de Estudos Geográficos, University of Lisbon, Portugal

State of the Art Report on Migration and Health (2005)

• Written by the IMISCOE Health Group • Title: ’The role of health in integration’• Contained country reports on The

Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and Greece

• Available at www.ercomer.eu/ingleby (see Publications, Ingleby et al., 2005)

The IMISCOE/IOM European Survey on Migration and Health

• Started December 2005 by the IMISCOE Health group in collaboration with the IOM.

• Set up web sites (wiki’s) to collect data in about 8 countries.

• Relied on voluntary help, but it soon became obvious that more funding would be needed.

Topics of IMISCOE/IOM survey

1. Migrant populations, immigration policies; the social, historical and political context.

2. Migrants’ state of health and its determinants

3. Health system and the entitlement of migrants to health care.

4. Accessibility of health care.5. Quality of care: matching of service

provisions to the needs of migrants. 6. Policy measures to investigate and improve

migrant health (care).

MIGHEALTHNET

Information network on good practice in health care for migrants and minorities in

Europe

Successor to the IMISCOE European Survey. 16 countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece,

Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK

Starts May 2007, lasts 2 years.

Budget: €645.681 (59% subsidy from DG SANCO)

COST network

Health and Social Care for Migrants and Ethnic Minorities in Europe (HOME) 

Aim: to consolidate and disseminate the results of the DG SANCO project through conferences, workshops, publications etc.

Partners in 30 countries (including USA, Canada and Australia)

Starts June 2007, lasts 4 years

Budget: €400,000 EU subsidy

Regional differences in Europe

• Northern

• Southern

• Central and Eastern

Context

Background information on migrant and minority populations, immigration and integration policies, etc.

Migrants’ state of health

• Complex picture; socio-economic influences probably large

Entitlement to health care

• Barriers to entitlement for labour migrants

• Situation of undocumented migrants

Accessibility of health care

• Knowledge about when and where to seek care

• Language and cultural barriers

• Trust in the services

Quality of health care

• Quality of communication between professionals and users

• Change the users or change the services?

Summary of topics:

1. Context

2. State of health

3. Entitlement to care

4. Accessibility of care

5. Quality

6. Policies and the search for ‘good practices’

Signs of change…..

• Rapid increase in attention for the topic• Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe:

recommendation to Member States on ‘health care in a multicultural society’.

• European Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) to investigate health.

• Portuguese Presidency of the EU: Migrant health most important element of health programme (Lisbon conference)