Migration Health Research Podcast No. 13 (Migration Health Research Bulletin #26)
Kit Leung, IOM Migration Health Regional Thematic Specialist for Southern Africa, based in Pretoria, South Africa, shares the findings of a desk review to determine the rights of migrants to access healthcare services in the 16 Southern African Development Community Member States. Ursula Trummer, Head of the Center for Health and Migration in Vienna, Austria, provides an overview of the health challenges faced by international migrant workers globally.
Over the last two decades, there have been increasing calls to improve the health and welfare of low-wage migrant laborers, particularly in areas with large numbers of these workers, such as the Middle East. High-profile events accompanied by large infrastructure projects, such as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ (FWC22), have attracted international media scrutiny over employment practices in the region, but also provided a catalyst for introducing important improvements in workers’ rights, employment conditions, and access to healthcare.
The first section of this report provides a global overview of the international migrant worker population and the health challenges they face. The second section examines the health of, and healthcare services available to, migrant workers in Qatar, with a focus on how the situation has evolved in the run-up to FWC22. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for improving the health of this workforce, both in Qatar and globally.