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New WHO Global Competency Standards aim to strengthen the health workforce and support provision of quality health services to refugees and migrants
Date
06-01-2022
New World Health Organization Global Competency Standards for refugee and migrant health services aim to strengthen countries’ capacity to provide health services to refugees and migrants worldwide by defining the range of competencies that should be incorporated into health workers’ education and practices.
Today, more people than ever live in a country other than the one in which they were born. More than 1 billion are on the move. While many individuals migrate out of choice, many others migrate out of necessity. 1 in 30 people is a migrant[1], and 1 in 95 is forcibly displaced[2]. These numbers are expected to grow due to poverty, lack of human security, lack of access to basic services, conflict, environmental degradation and natural disasters.
“While facing similar health risks to their host communities, refugees and migrants may have specific health needs and are often vulnerable to adverse health outcomes due to their mobility, living and working conditions,” said Dr Santino Severoni, Director of the WHO Health and Migration Programme.
“Refugees and migrants face obstacles in accessing people-centred and culturally sensitive health services in both countries of transit and destination. These can include language and cultural differences, institutional discrimination, and restricted use of health services, all of which shape their interactions with the host country’s health system and health workforce.”