March 2, 2016 Europe Publication

Europe’s response to the refugee crisis: why relocation quotas will fail to achieve ‘fairness’ from a health perspective

EU refugee law is deficient—this has become obvious as thousands of refugees cross the Mediterranean and EU borders to reach a safe destination. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for a scheme of compulsory relocation of refugees to EU member states to achieve a ‘fair’ distribution¹based on ‘objective, quantifiable and verifiable criteria’ such as GDP, population size and unemployment rates.² While we strongly believe that providing international protection to refugees is a collective duty of EU member states, we argue that the concept of their ‘fair’ (but factually enforced) relocation across the EU is flawed and may ultimately be detrimental from a public health perspective.

Feb. 13, 2017 Global Publication

People-centred integration in a refugee primary care service: A complex adaptive systems perspective

Services for refugees and asylum seekers frequently experience gaps in delivery and access, poor coordination, and service stress. The purpose of this paper is to examine the approach to integrated care within Companion House (CH), a refugee primary care service, whose service mix includes counselling, medical care, community development, and advocacy. CH has created fluid links between teams, and encouraged open dialogue with client populations. There is a high level of networking between staff, much of it informal. This is underpinned by horizontal management and staff commitment to a shared mission and an ethos of mutual respect. The clinical teams are collectively oriented towards patients but not necessarily towards each other.

July 13, 2022 Global Publication

Strengthening the primary care workforce to deliver high-quality care for non-communicable diseases in refugee settings: lessons learnt from a UNHCR partnership

Non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and care in humanitarian contexts has been a long-neglected issue. Healthcare systems in humanitarian settings have focused heavily on communicable diseases and immediate life-saving health needs. NCDs are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in refugee settings, however, in many situations NCD care is not well integrated into primary healthcare services. Increased risk of poorer outcomes from COVID-19 for people living with NCDs has heightened the urgency of responding to NCDs and shone a spotlight on their relative neglect in these settings.