Migrant and minority health in Europe: the way forward

Migrant and minority health has always been an issue of special concern in public health. While migration is not a new phenomenon, the number of refugees and migrants across the globe grew rapidly in 2015, with large numbers from the Middle East and Africa. Furthermore, the recent migrant crisis in Europe—sparked by civil wars in Syria and Libya and continuing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan—has escalated to the level of a humanitarian emergency requiring immediate action. We conducted an international workshop on migrant and minority health in Salzburg from 3 to 9 April 2016 to examine migrant and minority health issues in greater depth, sponsored by the American Austrian Foundation and in cooperation with the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) and Public Health Reviews (PHR). To continue this discussion within the academic literature, PHR’s special issue on migrant and minority health includes articles from conference participants and other experts in medicine and public health from the European region and beyond. Informed by the contribution of senior representatives of the European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and public health practitioners and investigators from over 30 countries, this editorial summarizes recommendations of the conference participants for improving migrant and minority health in Europe. They include (i) developing a conceptual framework for health care intervention for migrants, (ii) oversight and coordination of migrant and minority health activities, (iii) reaching a consensus on implementation practices, and (iv) mobilizing sufficient resources for addressing the health needs of migrants.