Global Health and the Refugee Crisis

In recent weeks, much of the news cycle has been dominated by the US elections and the ‘Brexit’ talks, details of which continue to emerge. However, one key issue that has been mostly sidelined is the issue of migrants and refugees, who continue to pour into Europe, and indeed other countries, as world crisis’s show no sign of resolving.

As a medical student, I have a great interest in Global Health, and the idea of health equity; equal access of healthcare services for everyone around the world. Healthcare is, in my opinion, a right not a privilege, and as such should not be dictated by any terms, especially not location. However, the sad truth is that the world at this point in time is pretty far from the goal of health equity.

This issue can be seen clearly when you look at the recent movement of refugees into Europe, over the past 15 months, with estimates now putting official figures of displaced people at over 60 million worldwide. That’s 60 million people who have had to leave their homes, towns and cities because of the situation around them.

This has led to some interesting debates by our politicians, however little focus has been paid to the healthcare needs of these people. Many of these people are coming from war zones and areas of major conflict. They have lost many people close to them, and seen their houses destroyed, and towns where they have grown up completely vanish. What is worse is that over 25% of these refugees are children, who have seen horrific things which no child should ever have to see.

It does not take a scientist to say that this will leave long lasting impacts on these children and how they move on from these traumatic events. In light of World Mental Health Day, it is also important to think about these survivors, and the impact their experiences have had on them. Access for these people to mental health services, even simple support services is crucial, to help them process what they have been through.

Additionally, many of the refugees are living in temporary homes, shanty tones, run-down buildings, and outside with nowhere to stay. As the winter approaches it is important that these people have access to healthcare to ensure they do not catch infections. Basic healthcare needs for women and children should also be a priority.

All of this raises an important question which must be asked, why does this matter? The United Kingdom as a major developed country, has a chance to help improve conditions for these refugees, even if it is by providing access to healthcare. It is in these times of need that global health communities have the opportunity to address broader issues of inequality that are driving the crisis.

Not only is there a moral and ethical reason to help those who have left behind everything in the search of safety, but also through promotion of global health schemes and access to proper healthcare we can begin to see real change in communities where a lot of these refugees live, such as in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. We can help the ‘lost generation’ of Syrians (children who have left war torn areas) to process their experiences, so that they can go on to live healthier fuller lives.

Thus as a concluding point, I want to ask readers to think of how we can tackle global health issues is these times of crisis. There is no clear answer and indeed no set path forward. A lot of issues are at play presently, which puts the need of healthcare lower down, but if we all begin to think about possible solutions, who knows what we might achieve!