Posted by Dr Gill Gillespie

A new report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights sets out its concerns regarding the inequalities experienced in healthcare for vulnerable refugees and migrants.

The FRA’s Director, MortenKjaerum, comments:

 “Whereas it is true that other groups such as the poor and the uninsured might also be excluded from full access to healthcare in some countries, the particular conditions of migrants in an irregular situation expose them to specific health risks. These migrants can fall victim to racist crime and violence that put their lives at risk; they are also often exposed to health-impairing or life-threatening working conditions. They are more likely to work in sectors such as construction and domestic work, which have a higher incidence of workplace accidents, and are more vulnerable to exploitative working conditions and precarious housing, which in turn undermine their physical and psychological well-being.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) finds in particular that the risk of detection and deportation prevents migrants in an irregular situation from seeking healthcare, even in the countries where this is legally available.”

To read the full report, click here