Refugees: towards better access to health-care services

Practical barriers impede access to health-care services for refugees--eg, inadequate information and awareness about the availability of services, insufficient financial means, restricted access to transport, culturally insensitive care, and inadequate provision of interpreters.7 Various OECD countries also charge migrants user fees for health-care services, further restricting access to health care.12 Initial restriction of access to care for refugees leads to delayed care and increased per person health expenditures.15 Provision of preventive care, including primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and antenatal care, could generate savings for health-care systems by alleviating the burden of stroke, myocardial infarction, and adverse birth outcomes among refugees.16 Overall, robust evidence argues against claims that granting universal health coverage (UHC) to refugees increases health-care expenditure.15 Furthermore, poor access to health-care services interacts with discrimination and limited social rights thereby reinforcing exclusion as a root cause of ill health among refugees.11 Access to essential health services for refugees should be recognised as a fundamental human right.16 As such, host countries must address refugees' exclusion from health-care services and their unmet health needs.