Migration and health. In: Adepoju A., Fumagalli C., Nyabola N. (eds) Africa Migration Report: Challenging the narrative
Author/s: Sunday Smith, Benjamin Djoudalbaye, Adam Ahmat | contribution from Jaqueline Weekers, Kolitha Wickramage
Publication Type: Book chapter(External)
Migration Health Research Podcast No. 6 (Migration Health Research Bulletin #19)
Warren Dalal, Migration Health Division's Global Vaccination Programme Coordinator and Dr. Farah Amin, Migration Health Division's Regional Vaccination Programme Coordinator for Africa, both based in IOM Regional Office in Nairobi talks about the IOM vaccination programme for US-bound refugees. Sunday Smith, Public Health Officer based in IOM Regional Office in Nairobi discusses migration health governance in Africa.
The relationship between migration and health is explored, including resilience, vulnerability, and social determinants of health throughout the migration cycle. The chapter maintains that migration health governance should include the control of communicable diseases, health security, universal health coverage (UHC), and migration-responsive systems, which are all critical to health security, public health, and development. Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African Union's Agenda 2063, Africa Health Strategy and the African Union Migration Policy Framework for Africa, World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolutions 61.17 and 70.15 are suggested as implementation frameworks. Great emphasis is placed on research and data, inclusive policy and legal frameworks, migration-sensitive health systems, and partnerships. Furthermore, a case is made that international and regional human rights instruments recognize that everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health irrespective of legal status, guarantee equality, and embrace non-discrimination. These instruments, therefore, encompass and protect migrants, regardless of their status. It is nevertheless noted that African migrants face barriers in accessing services in already stretched health systems where migration health is considered through the lens of health security, and migrants are seen as vectors of disease. The chapter concludes that migration health is critical to effective migration management and must be embedded into health programming goals.
Central and West Africa
Cross-cutting health themes