RECAP: Migration and Health Data Webinar – Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward
The Africa-Europe Cluster of Research Excellence on Migration and Health (CoRE-MH) brought together experts from across the globe for a webinar on the current status quo of migration and health data in Africa and Europe.
Migration and health are closely interlinked, yet there is no standardised mechanism to collect data on the health of refugees and migrants. This limits our ability to address vulnerabilities, utilising migration’s positive impact, and measure progress towards the SDGs.
Key insights from the speakers:
Soorej Jose Puthoopparambil set the scene on the global status quo, noting that while migratory status data exists, it is not connected to health data. Health data cannot be disaggregated by migratory status, making informed policy difficult.
Philippe Bocquier emphasised that migration and health cannot be looked at in isolation, they influence each other. He highlighted data quality differences across Europe and Africa, and noted the limitations of census, survey, and longitudinal data.
Carren Ginsburg presented the work of the MADIMAH project, which includes 29 Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS) across Sub-Saharan Africa, strong sources of migration and health data.
Diego Itturralde provided an overview of innovative developments at StatsSA, including the use of population censuses, thematic surveys, administrative data, and emerging “big data” sources. He noted challenges in measuring migration, including hesitation in revealing place of birth in the current environment.
Saverio Bellizzi presented findings from a recent global survey on health and migration, covering public health interventions, continuity of care, and strengthening health information systems.
Chaired by Prof. Jo Vearey (ACMS, Co-Lead CoRE-MH) in closing indicated that there is a need for health systems to respond better to movement across various countries.
Thank you to all speakers and participants for a rich and necessary conversation.
