SWITZERLAND — WHO has developed a Refugee and Migrant Health Toolkit, a web-based comprehensive platform of tools and resources, to support global, regional, and national efforts in implementing health and migration-related activities.
WHO noted that migration and displacement often impact people’s physical and mental health and well-being, especially those forced to flee their homes.
Additionally, it may have a particular impact on people displaced across borders or within their own country and people who are in an irregular situation or vulnerable and have specific health and protection needs.
Refugees and migrants can face many factors such as their migration status; national migration policy; and linguistic, cultural, economic, and social barriers that often hinder their access to health services.
It is essential that countries have strong and inclusive health systems equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools to help decision-makers and health professionals meet the health needs and rights of these populations and advance the health and migration agenda.
“We developed the toolkit to help countries design, develop and implement health and migration policies, strategies, and services based on evidence and technical soundness,” said Dr. Santino Severoni, Director of the WHO program for health and migration.
“We hope that Member States will use this operational and user-friendly single-source toolkit in the implementation of health and migration-related activities, including the Global Action Plan (GAP) “Promoting the Health of Refugees and Migrants, 2019-2023”, and regional action plans with similar goals.”
A one-stop source of information, guidance, and tools
The toolkit contains modules for each of the six priorities of the GAP 2019-2023, along with 18 tools:
The first module talks about short- and long-term public health interventions to promote the health of refugees and migrants.
This module’s tools highlight common communicable and non-communicable diseases, including mental health, public health emergencies, and immunization.
The second module talks about mainstreaming refugee and migrant health in the global, regional and national agenda and access to inclusive human-centered health services.
Tools in this module discuss how to integrate refugees and migrants into plans and initiatives; access to primary healthcare and infrastructure; maternal and child health; and sexual and reproductive health, along with gender-based violence.
The third module tackles the social determinants of health and the health and safety of workers at work.
Tools in this module highlight urban health, climate change, water and sanitation, occupational health and safety, and workers, and how these sectors can help close the health gap between migrants and the general population.
The fourth module delineates Country Assessment, Health Monitoring and Health Information Systems.
Tools in this module aim to strengthen the methodology for data collection, analysis, health information systems, monitoring, and evaluation of migrant health.
The fifth module outlines communication, countering misperceptions, and increasing community engagement.
Tools in this module address communication and countering disinformation and the involvement of refugees and migrants in decision-making processes and campaigning at the national and local level for the successful implementation of public health programmes.
The sixth module describes collaboration and partnership. It provides guidance on mechanisms and strategies to enhance cooperation and partnerships between countries, regions, UN system agencies, and other stakeholders to work towards global health and humanitarian cooperation.
Each module contains a summary of key topics, a list of actions for stakeholders to consider, links to the latest available guidelines, case studies and reports, training materials, and other WHO publications on relevant topics.
The resource toolkit also has an introductory section that provides essential knowledge about refugee and migrant health, covering definitions, global trends, legal frameworks, and resolutions.
According to the UN Agency body, the tools are not prescriptive. They can be adapted to each specific context, region, and community to support context-specific analyzes and approaches to refugee and migrant health.
The platform for policymakers, planners, and implementers
WHO member states, WHO country offices, United Nations partners, and non-governmental actors working in the field of refugee and migrant health can use the Refugee and Migrant Health Toolkit to implement health programs that be fair and inclusive.
They can also be used to evaluate and support national health plans and strategies that promote the health of refugees, migrants, and host populations.
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