PAHO provides guidance on improving the health of migrants in countries of the Americas

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has published a guidance document on migration and health that suggests five areas of action countries should take top improve the health of migrants and the populations that receive them.

The five areas of action are: strengthening surveillance, information management and monitoring; improving access to health services for the migrant and host populations; improving communication and information exchange to counter xenophobia, stigma and discrimination; strengthening partnerships, networks and multicountry frameworks to understand the status and promote and protect the health of migrants; and adapting policies, programs and legal frameworks to promote and protect the health and well-being of migrants.

“We need to have a short-term response, with medium- and long-term planning that addresses the health needs of migrants,” said PAHO Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa. “It is nearly impossible to think of an isolated response to addressing health and migration. We need to work in a collective way to address the health needs of migrants and of the populations that receive them, and to protect our region’s achievements.”

The phenomenon of mass migration has intensified in recent years in the Americas, in particular from Central America toward Mexico and the United States, and from Venezuela toward other South American countries and the Caribbean.

Countries in the Americas have demonstrated regional solidarity in providing support for migrants, but the high demand for health services coupled with a lack of resources and the re-emergence of previously eliminated diseases such as measles has put pressure on health care systems to meet the health needs of migrants while also meeting the needs of local populations.

PAHO created a website with information and resources on the health of migrants in the Americas and other regions, and where countries can exchange information, best practices, lessons learned and national health plans for improving migrant health, among other support documents.

The guidance and web portal are both part of a commitment PAHO made in November 2018 in response to a series of priority actions identified by ministries of health from throughout the Americas for improving the health system response to mass migrations that have been occurring in the region.