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Topic Collection: Migration & Health

Migration and Health: A Solution-Focused Approach

Global migration, driven by many factors, poses significant health challenges. Migrants often face legal, social, and systemic barriers to healthcare, worsened by discrimination and restrictive policies. Despite international frameworks, gaps in access persist. Inclusive solutions such as public health initiatives, partnerships and mental health services are urgently needed. This Topic Collection aims to bring together research that critically examines dimensions of health and wellbeing and health securitisation in the context of migration. Submissions Open | Submission Deadline: 26th May 2025

Guest Editors

Natasha Howard  Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health National University of Singapore, Singapore ORCID logoorcid.org/0000-0003-4174-7349 Aysha Farwin Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health National University of Singapore, Singapore ORCID logoorcid.org/0000-0003-3601-1847  
Itzel Eguiluz Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City/Independent Consultant, Madrid ORCID logoorcid.org/0000-0002-5240-3202 Sabina Faiz Rashid Mushtaque Chowdhury Chair in Health and Poverty BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh ORCID logoorcid.org/0000-0003-0916-2631
Laura C. Reichenbach Centre of Excellences for the Science of Implementation and Scale-Up BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh ORCID logoorcid.org/0000-0001-5492-6528
In recent years, the world has witnessed unprecedented levels of  migration driven by factors such as employment opportunities, climate change and environmental factors, protracted conflict, violence and economic deprivation.  Migrant’s access to healthcare is often tied to their legal status and the policies adopted by individual countries. Additionally, migrants, including refugees, asylum-seekers, internally-displaced persons (IDPs) and stateless individuals not only encounter barriers to essential health services and legal protections, but also face discrimination and marginalisation in their own countries, while in transit and from receiving countries.  Conditions of displacement and socioeconomic precarity result in loss of networks, and uprooting familiar spaces, further exacerbating  health and psychosocial vulnerabilities of migrants. Recent health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as global/national strategies have  influenced countries to adopt certain policies that leave out migrants’ ability to access income earning opportunities, get basic rights and face overly securitized health policies that prevent migrants from working and accessing needed health services.  While there are governance mechanisms in place at national and international levels to protect migrants, such as the United Nations’ 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol and the Global Compact for Migration and Refugees, the effectiveness of these mechanisms in facilitating access to essential health services and resources remain contested and difficult to impose on sovereign nations. Beyond policy reforms, further solutions to inclusive healthcare such as  greater community-based approaches, practical public health initiatives, NGO-government partnerships, expanded mental health  and support services and improved emergency responses are also urgently needed.  Recognizing the complex interplay between migration and health, with a focus on securitization and health governance is crucial to understand the challenges faced by migrants. Understanding these links is vital to address barriers to health for migrants, in alignment with the UN2030 agenda for Sustainable Development to “leave no one behind”. BMJ Public Health welcomes original research, short reports and review articles that critically examine dimensions of health and wellbeing and health securitisation in the context of migration. We welcome submissions including but not limited to:
  • Access to and use of healthcare services among migrants 
  • Health disparities and inequalities among migrants
  • Strategies for partnerships and collaborations to improve access to healthcare
  • Cross-border strategies for access to healthcare
  • The role of innovation and digital health in delivering healthcare to migrant populations
  • Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of migrants and displaced populations
  • Securitization of migration and health
  • Migration and disruption due to climate change, including both climate disasters and long-term impacts of the climate crisis
  • Policy and governance frameworks for upholding health equity and justice for migrants in and from conflict-affected settings
  • Infectious disease control and prevention in displacement settings
  • Maternal and child health including access to reproductive health and maternal care.
  • Tools and approaches for decolonization in the context of migration
  • Bottom-up approaches to migration governance and marginalised groups and their dependence on location, age and access to networks
Please see the instructions for authors for submission requirements for each article type. To submit your article, please follow these instructions and select ‘Migration and Health: A Solution-Focused Approach’ as the Topic Collection.   Please visit our author hub for more information about the benefits of submitting to a Topic Collection. All submitted articles will be subject to the journal's normal peer review process. The Chair of the Editorial Board and the Research Editors are responsible for the content of this Topic Collection. Guest Editors will manage peer review, invite reviewers and make a recommendation, but the final decision on all manuscripts will be made by the Research Editors. Articles accepted for publication will be published upon acceptance. Visit our author hub for more information regarding the publication process for topic collections.  Authors submitting to this Topic Collection are entitled to a 25% discount on the Article Processing Charge.  Discount is available upon request to info.bmjph@bmj.com. A number of institutions have an open access agreement with BMJ where the full cost of publishing can be covered; please view the list of institutions to which this applies. BMJ also offers full waivers for authors based in low income countries; please see further information on our waivers and discounts policy. For any inquiries regarding this topic collection, please contact topic.collections@bmj.com Keywords: Migration, Migrants and refugees, Health, Healthcare Access, Global Health, Securitization, Governance