Seven nations just proved that providing health care to migrants and refugees isn’t charity work—it’s the blueprint for building health systems that work better for everyone.
Story Highlights
- WHO’s Sixth Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health showcased concrete implementations from Colombia, Kenya, Somalia, Vietnam, Thailand, Jordan, and Italy
- Over 1 billion people are on the move globally, with 117 million forcibly displaced, requiring health system integration beyond temporary humanitarian responses
- Countries are embedding primary health care models directly into migrant communities, establishing inter-ministerial working groups, and providing free consultations for undocumented populations
- Host communities benefit from strengthened primary care infrastructure, improved data collection, and enhanced capacity to respond to emerging health threats
When Emergency Responses Become Permanent Systems
The World Health Organization convened its Sixth Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health on January 31, 2026, with a sharp focus on moving from policy statements to actual implementation. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus articulated what many health officials have learned through hard experience: humanitarian action alone cannot address the health challenges faced by refugees and migrants. The numbers demand systemic solutions. With 117 million forcibly displaced persons and over a billion people in motion globally, parallel emergency structures simply cannot scale to meet the need sustainably.
Seven Countries Show How It’s Actually Done
Colombia scaled Territorial Health Committees to coordinate multi-hazard responses and cross-border health services, recognizing that borders don’t stop disease transmission or human need. Kenya and Somalia implemented transit-point vaccination and zero-dose child tracking along an 800-kilometre porous border, demonstrating that cooperation between nations with complicated relationships can still protect children. Vietnam established an inter-ministerial Migrant Health Working Group, embedding migrant health directly into national policy frameworks rather than treating it as a separate issue requiring separate solutions.
Thailand embedded a health centre directly within a migrant community, co-led by volunteers from that community, which resulted in measurably improved immunization coverage. Jordan expanded Healthy Community Clinics within the Ministry of Health, pairing direct service delivery with evidence collection and capacity-building. Italy established a clinic in Brescia providing free consultations and continuity of care for chronic conditions for undocumented migrants, recognizing that untreated diabetes or hypertension creates larger problems for everyone when emergencies eventually arise.
Primary Care as the Foundation of Inclusive Systems
Dr Shams Syed, who heads the WHO Service Delivery and Primary Health Care Unit, emphasized that primary health care functions as the backbone of migrant-inclusive systems. When knowledge meets purpose, and leadership operates with empathy and courage, health systems strengthen for all populations, not just displaced ones. This isn’t abstract theory. Primary care models prove accessible, culturally adaptable, and resilient precisely because they operate at the community level where language barriers, cultural differences, and trust deficits can be addressed directly rather than through bureaucratic intermediaries.
The Barriers That Persist Despite Progress
WHO officials acknowledge that systemic barriers continue hampering access even as progress accelerates. Refugees and migrants still confront legal obstacles that restrict service eligibility, linguistic barriers that make navigating complex health systems nearly impossible, financial barriers that force impossible choices between care and other necessities, and social barriers rooted in xenophobia and discrimination. Fragmented services, workforce shortages, and governance gaps hinder continuity of care, meaning a refugee might receive excellent emergency treatment but no follow-up for chronic conditions that require ongoing management.
Dr Santino Severoni, who heads the WHO Special Initiative on Health and Migration, frames leadership as the force that transforms evidence into action and ensures health systems become inclusive, resilient, and fair. Leadership requires implementation, accountability, and courage to innovate, collaborate, and listen to refugees and migrants themselves rather than simply designing programs for them. The WHO’s global action plan for 2019-2030 recognizes that displacement and migration will continue rising, making integration into national systems not just morally right but practically necessary.
Why Host Communities Benefit From Migrant Health Integration
The economic, social, and political implications extend far beyond displaced populations. Host communities gain strengthened primary health care infrastructure that serves everyone. Health systems improve data collection capabilities and build enhanced capacity to respond to emerging threats, whether infectious disease outbreaks or chronic disease management challenges. Reduced out-of-pocket costs for vulnerable populations improve workforce productivity through better health outcomes. Enhanced social cohesion results when inclusive health systems reduce xenophobia through integrated service delivery where people of different backgrounds receive care side by side.
NEWS RELEASE: Encouraging progress in inclusive health policies for refugees and migrants
.https://t.co/xDEba9yW5C— vijay banga (@kuku27) March 26, 2026
The WHO positions these inclusive policies as essential to achieving universal health coverage and fulfilling international commitments to Sustainable Development Goal 3. While parallel health structures may prove necessary during acute emergencies, these must remain temporary, with sustainable inclusion within national systems as the ultimate goal. The evidence from Colombia, Kenya, Somalia, Vietnam, Thailand, Jordan, and Italy demonstrates this transition from emergency response to systemic integration isn’t just possible—it’s happening right now, creating models other nations can adapt to their specific contexts and constraints.
Sources:
WHO Fact Sheet: Refugee and Migrant Health
WHO: The Sixth WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health – Leadership from Policies to Action
El Tímpano: New State and Federal Policies Will Reshape Health Care Access for Immigrants in 2026
Commonwealth Fund: What Recent Policy Changes Mean for Immigrant Health Coverage
