Healthcare for migrants has become a key issue for many of ASEM countries, which especially relates to human rights, economic growth and social security. While globalised labour markets demand a healthy and productive workforce, in both Europe and Asia, undocumented migrants often face challenges accessing healthcare. Since 2011, the ASEF Public Health Network has been promoting Asia-Europe collaboration on migrants’ health. In this endeavour, ASEF published a research report Migrants and Healthcare: Social and Economic Approaches in October 2014. The report consists of policy analysis with a focus on migrants’ access to healthcare, stakeholder analysis and case studies of Austria, Italy, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, arguing that exclusion from primary healthcare causes unnecessary loss of human capital due todelayed or denied treatment.There is a need to analyse healthcare policies for migrants not only from a human rights point of view but also from socio-economic point of view.
ASEF Public Health Network organised a roundtable “Migrants and Healthcare: Socio-economic Approaches and Strengthening Partnerships” on Tuesday, 11 August 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand. This roundtable featured featured research findings by one of the authors of the report, Professor Kai Hong Phua of the National University of Singapore, and was followed a panel discussion on Thailand’shealth insurance policy for migrantsas well asprojects commissioned by the European Union to improve healthcare services for displaced populations along the Thai-Myanmar border.The roundtable also involved a panel on JUIMA’s role in contributing towards the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)’s 2015 focus on “Strengthening Multi-sectoral Partnerships” for the improvement of migrants’ health.
