HUMA Newsletter - April 2011 - Issue n°23
This is HUMA network's last newsletter!
This time corresponds to the end of Huma project ... but not of MDM's commitment to the health of migrants at national and European level! We hope to continue working all together and obtain significant improvements in access to health care for the most vulnerable populations in Europe.
NEWS OF THE EUROPEAN DECLARATION
Handover of European Declaration of Health Professionals "Towards non-discriminatory access to healthcare"
On 22 March, the European Declaration of health professionals was presented in the European Parliament by Médecins du Monde, the Standing Committee of European Doctors and supporting MEPs Dr Antonyia Parvanova and Ms Edite Estrela to the Hungarian presidency. They urged EU institutions and Member States to take action to allow health professionals to respect the medical ethical obligations when providing care to every patient, especially undocumented migrants.
The Declaration, launched by Médecins du Monde in May 2010, was signed by 141 health organisations, representing over 3.000.000 health professionals. Prominent European associations of health professionals, including the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), the European Council of Medical Orders (CEOM) and the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN) signed it. This success highlights the commitment of health professionals and health organisations to care for all patients without discrimination, including undocumented migrants.
EU DEVELOPMENTS
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Resolution on 'Reducing health inequalities in the EU'
On 8 March 2011, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution on 'Reducing health inequalities in the EU' in which it calls on Member States to tackle inequalities in access to healthcare for undocumented migrants. In this resolution, the EP calls on the Member States "to ensure that the most vulnerable groups, including undocumented migrants, are entitled to and are provided equitable access to healthcare"; and "to ensure all pregnant women and children, irrespective of their status, are entitled to and effectively benefit from social protection as defined in their national legislation", among other.
This is a good step forward in ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all, with no discrimination linked to administrative status or financial resources, and the result of years of work by diverse organisations.
Many of these organisations gathered in the European Parliament on 8 December 2010, for a public hearing, organised by Médecins du Monde, the HUMA network, PICUM, the European Women's Lobby and EAPN, which highlighted how undocumented migrants - especially undocumented pregnant women and children - are threatened by both legislative and practical barriers when trying to access healthcare. A report and a video of the hearing are available.
COMMISSION
An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020
On 5 April 2011, the Commission adopted a Communication defining an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020. Access to healthcare is one of the four crucial areas identified, and the goal in this area is to "Reduce the gap in health status between the Roma and the rest of the population": "Member States should provide access to quality healthcare especially for children and women as well as preventive care and social services at a similar level and under the same conditions to the Roma as to the rest of the population. Where possible, qualified Roma should be involved in healthcare programmes targeting their communities."
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta call for support to address health needs of the migrants arriving from North Africa
ON 13 April, in Rome, European health ministers and high-level officials from EU and WHO met to improve international cooperation and coordination on the health issues related to the mass migration resulting from the crisis in northern Africa. On 5 April Health Ministers of Greece, Italy, Malta and Cyprus had made a statement on "Illegal Immigrants and Public Health" in which they said that the health needs of illegal immigrants must be addressed through an EU Integrated Health Protection Programme. The WHO representative declared that "We need to ensure that our health systems can handle a major increase in migrant populations. Every migrant, and particularly those who are most vulnerable, physically injured or have chronic conditions, having experienced a crowded environment and a demanding journey, should have timely access to high-quality health care. This will also be the safest way to ensure that the resident population is not exposed to related health risks." It was agreed "to guarantee all migrants the right to health and avoid the stigma from misattributed public health threats to the influx of populations" as well as several main principles to increase cooperation.
France: The reform of the residence permit for medical reasons voted by the Senate empties it from any form of protection !
Since months now, there is an attempt to break residence permit for medical reasons, which entitles undocumented migrants who habitually reside in France and who need healthcare to stay in France as long as they cannot effectively access to appropriate treatment in their country of origin. The Senate lately voted an law amendment on this issue, which they presented as a compromise text between the existing law and the amendment voted by the National Assembly (Parliament) in March. But in reality, this text is much more restrictive: according to it, seriously-ill undocumented foreigners could be protected from expulsion only if the treatment they need does not exist in their country of origin. The text also excludes the doctors from the decision process, and leaves the State representative (préfêt) free to interpret the medical situation as he choses. The last chance to have this text rejected is that the Commission that has now to review it goes back on this decision.
Sweden: Steps forward for the right to healthcare for undocumented migrants
Adult undocumented migrants in Sweden currently only have the opportunity to access emergency healthcare against full costs. The Swedish Government and the Green party have agreed upon expanding the legislation in the area of healthcare for undocumented migrants. The Government's announced ambition is that every person in Sweden shall have the same rights to healthcare. Parliament is to vote on a government proposal sometime early next year. It has not clearly been stated exactly yet which groups of undocumented migrants are to be included in the legislation, neither which types of healthcare are to be included.
PUBLICATIONS
This HUMA network' report has been elaborated with the collaboration of the following HUMA network members: KISA in Cyprus, SKOP in Malta, SIP in Poland and ARCA in Romania.
The report compiles an analysis of the legislation on access to healthcare for undocumented migrants and asylum seekers, and the results of a field survey based on interviews with 434 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in Cyprus, Malta, Poland or Romania. It bears witness on the living conditions, perceived health status, and access to healthcare of these populations, and brings also light to the situation of the pregnant women and the children. The results and recommendations are presented country per country and a final comparative analysis shows again that the access to healthcare is a right not respected in Europe. Read the report.
"Detained & Denied: The clinical care of immigration detainees living with HIV"
Medical Justice publisehd a comprehensive analysis of the clinical care of immigration detainees living with HIV in the UK, done by 8 independent clinicians. Many of the 35 persons studied are torture survivors from countries where rape is used as a weapon of war. It comes out of this report that most HIV+ immigrant detainees helped by the organisation have been denied life-saving medication. As a result, some detainees have developed drug resistance, necessitating more complex drug combinations which are inaccessible to many in the country they are being deported to. More than three-quarters of the people in the study who were deported, had little or no medication.
Read the report and press release.
ENAR Shadow Reports on Racism in Europe
ENAR (European network against racism) published a general shadow report and shadow reports by country, about the widespread racism in Europe. The data for each of the 27 shadow reports is based on official, unofficial, academic an experimental sources, and describes the manifestations of racism and racial & religious discrimination as well as some good practices in employment, housing, education, health, access to goods and services, fight against racism violence and crime. See the reports by country
The EU Expert Group on Social Determinants and Health Inequalities meeting report
The EU Expert Group on Social Determinants and Health Inequalities met on 5 and 6 April 2011. All the presentations are available online, including a Report on Health Inequalities in the EU, an Update on EU action on health inequalities, work of the FRA on Roma health, Advancing Health & Rights of Roma, Update on EU Roma Health related activities, Health promotion program of marginalized communities, and Spanish work on the reduction of health inequalities.
EVENTS
CONFERENCES
JRS Europe conference on migrant destitution in Europe, 29 march 2011
JRS Europe organised on 29th March 2011 a conference on destitution of migrants in Europe, with policy makers and NGOs. , aiming to give an overview of the situation was presented and to work more in-depth on 5 key points of migrant destitution: education, social services, healthcare, work/ payment of wages, housing. Recommendations of JRS should come out of it. Benoit Blondel from HUMA chaired the workshop on healthcare.
Active Citizenship Network conference for the 5th European Patients' Rights Day, 11-12 April 2011
The 5th European patients' rights day was an opportunity to present the outcomes of a study they made all around Europe. It comes out of this study that the right to access healthcare was not respected : « As regards the right to access to needed health care and treatments, the civic organizations report an overall high frequency of violations in relation to services (financial resources, placeof residence and kind of illness). No reference to the situation of migrant patients is made in these reports.
"Regularization as one of the tools in the fight against irregular migration" conference, 12 April 2011, Prague, Czech Republic
The conference summarised the outcomes of a project run by Czech NGOs as regards the rights of foreigners (legal counseling, surveys, study of relevant legislation, lobbying for rights of immigrants in the Parliament), among them MKC, HUMA networks's partner. The key topic of the conference was the promotion of regularization in the Czech Republic. Besides three thematic panel discussions related to the living conditions of undocumented migrants: irregular employment and labour conditions, access to healthcare and social services, deportation and detention. Read the minutes here soon.
EPHA's European charter for health equity and conference, 14 April 2011
The EPHA (European Public Health Alliance) 'European charter for health equity' was presented at their annual conference in Brussels on 14 April 2011 "Europe 2020 : Delivering a healthy and sustainable future for all ?". The Charter is a call for action to effectively address health inequalities and for leadership and accountability from EU institutions. It also aims to increase cooperation between civil society and governmental institutions, and among civil society organisations. The Charter remains, among other, that «already existing legal and policy documents state that addressing all social determinants of health and reducing health inequalities is a matter of fairness and social justice as it improves the health of those most exposed to health threatening conditions - the poor, the marginalised, and those excluded from participation in various aspects of society by virtue of their living conditions or legal status». Read the Charter.
HUMA NETWORK's NATIONAL EVENTS
MALTA
The results of the new HUMA report on Malta were presented during a national event organised by Skop on the 18th of March, in Lavallette. It was also the occasion for other NGO and institutions to present some programmes and preoccupations relative to this, for example a mediation programme of the Ministry of health; the Mare nostrum programme, providing training sessions and delivering primary health services in open centres; the need for more mental support highlighted by the report but also by JRS and an UNHCR representative. Read more.
ROMANIA
The results of the new HUMA report on Cyprus were presented during a national event organised by ARCA on the 30th of March, in Bucarest.
CYPRUS
KISA presented the results of the new HUMA report in Nicosia during an event hosted by the European parliament office in Cyprus. Theses results and recommendations were completed by presentations by a representative from the Ombudsman office, researchers, the president of the ethics committee of the Cypriot medial organisation and PICUM. In particular came out of it that better information of health professionals and migrants about their rights is needed, as well as a sanctuarisation of the health facilities in order to limit (fear of) arrests of migrants. But it was noted that the overall situation in Cyprus is very unfriendly to migrants, and that the awaited change of the health system again postponed. Read more.