Publications Search

“We have a lot of home deliveries” A qualitative study on the impact of COVID-19 on access to and utilization of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health care among refugee women in urban Eastleigh, Kenya

Background
Little is known about how pregnant refugee women, and the frontline health care workers who serve them, are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of health, and health service access. Women refugees are classified as a vulnerable group with regard to pregnancy outcomes and access to maternal care and may be disproportionally at risk for COVID-19 infection as they are likely to face unique barriers to information and access to reproductive health services during…

COVID-19: Exposing and addressing health disparities among ethnic minorities and migrants

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on health disparities and has created an opportunity to address the causes underlying these inequities. Every country has vulnerable populations that require special attention from policymakers in their response to the current pandemic. Inclusive policies that ensure equal access to care for everybody including COVID-19 testing, new therapeutics, and a vaccine (when available) will be critical to protecting the whole population. Migrants living in…

Neglect of low-income migrants in COVID-19 response

South Asia, home to around a quarter of the world’s population and 40% of the world’s poor, is being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The global response to the pandemic has focused mainly on containment of the contagion and “flattening the curve” through testing and strict social distancing, but these universal approaches fail to take account of resource limitations in countries in South Asia and ignore the realities of vulnerable populations, such as low-income migrants, internally…

Targeting COVID-19 interventions towards migrants in humanitarian settings

Millions of refugees and migrants reside in countries devastated by protracted conflicts with weakened health systems, and in countries where they are forced to live in substandard conditions in camps and compounds, and high-density slum settings. Although many such settings have yet to feel the full impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic is now having an unprecedented impact on mobility, in terms of border and migration management, as well as on the health, social, and…

Migrant and Refugee Health: Complex health associations among diverse contexts call for tailored and rights-based solutions

Migration is a natural state of humankind and has been documented throughout history. Some people may flee violence and persecution, while others simply seek a better life. Although migration is often classified into these two basic categories, the reality is more complex and nuanced: people migrate for a myriad of interconnected cultural, economic, religious, ethnic, and political reasons. Depending upon the epoch, migration has been seen in a positive or negative light. Currently, the…

Accessing health services in India: experiences of seasonal migrants returning to Nepal

Background
Migration to India is a common livelihood strategy for poor people in remote Western Nepal. To date, little research has explored the degree and nature of healthcare access among Nepali migrant workers in India. This study explores the experiences of returnee Nepali migrants with regard to accessing healthcare and the perspectives of stakeholders in the government, support organizations, and health providers working with migrant workers in India.

Methods…

Tajik healthcare workers on the move: causes, consequences and responses

Abstract
In 2012-2013, with the support of IOM Development Fund and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Tajikistan, IOM conducted a study on the causes, consequences, and responses to the migration of Tajik health workers. Until this study, the topic of the mobility of Tajik health professionals abroad has received limited attention in labor migration research in Tajikistan. The research findings presented here address this gap…

Health Status and Health Needs of Foreign Migrant Workers in Tajikistan: Legal, Social, Community, and Individual Aspects

Abstract
The article presents the results of the research conducted in the Republic of Tajikistan in 2012-2013 among foreign migrant workers from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Turkey and the  Republic of Uzbekistan. The research reconfirms that migrant experience different levels of vulnerability to health issues depending on their legal status, working and living conditions, as well as depending…

Access to health care for migrants in the Greater Mekong Subregion: policies and legal frameworks and their impact on malaria control in the context of malaria elimination

Abstract
The launch of the Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration in December 2018 marked the first-ever United Nations global agreement on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions. The global compact aims to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities migrants face at different stages of migration, by respecting, protecting and fulfilling their human rights and providing them with care and assistance. A key example of the…

Missing: Where Are the Migrants in Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plans?