Migration Health Research Podcast No. 4 (Migration Health Research Bulletin #17)
Dr. Francis Mulekya, Migration Health Coordinator based in IOM Pretoria talks about the stories of change and best practices pertaining to sexual and reproductive health rights in Southern Africa. And Dr. Aiko Kaji, Migration Health Project Development and Implementation Officer based in IOM Hanoi, speaks about the migrant health status in Viet Nam.
Viet Nam’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has realized the importance of migrant health and is committed to implementing Resolution 70.15 “Promoting the health of refugees and migrants” endorsed by WHA in May 2017. However, this determination to better safeguard migrants is impeded by a dearth of data on Vietnamese internal and cross-border migrants’ health and access to health-care, with limited information on stakeholders’ roles in responding to migration-related health challenges domestically and in destination countries. In particular, little is known about health-care access among undocumented migrants.
Cognizant of this intensifying need, the MOH in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and World Health Organization (WHO) jointly undertook a situation analysis of migrant health. Its findings are articulated in this Situation Analysis of Migrant Health in Viet Nam report, which outlines the key needs and steps forward for the development of a national action plan to promote the health of migrants in Viet Nam.