Athens, 29/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - The informal health ministers meeting in Athens on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 April brought forward an observation: the health of migrants has become a particular challenge for the European Union, with migratory pressure that is growing and an ever greater need of that population in terms of basic health care.
The European Union began an in-depth reflection on the issue of immigration after the dramatic events that took place in Lampedusa in 2013. During the informal meeting, the Greek Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU wanted to highlight the health issues engendered by mass immigration, as well as the responses that the member states can bring. It wanted to focus the member states' attention on the importance of deepening cooperation in this domain, and to give a message of solidarity. Indeed, “immigration can't be a burden carried by just one or a few countries. It's a major European issue”, said Greece's Minister for Health Spyridon-Adonis Georgiadis.
“We have legal obligations towards refugees. And while most immigrants are in good health, we must also protect our citizens”, said European Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg. Borg advocated more cooperation to identify the health needs of migrants precisely, according to their origin. “What we are trying to do is to set guidelines. To define when and which migrants should undergo medical examination based on the country of their origin. We do not see migrants as disease vectors, but we must ensure that some diseases of the past will not appear again”, Borg stated.
The immigrant population is more exposed to certain infectious diseases, like diabetes, tuberculosis and AIDS, and certain sections of that population, like women and children, are particularly vulnerable. In order to address these challenges and respond as accurately as possible to the health needs of the immigrant population, the member states are setting up operations that can vary considerably. No common list exists of diseases that must be monitored as a priority - though tuberculosis is monitored carefully. The European Commission has created a new fund which has an allocation of €3 billion in order to help the member states finance projects for improving the health of migrants, Borg stated. The fund will not only be used to improve infrastructure but will also have a direct impact on taking charge of migrants' health, he added. (IL)