The ASEAN region has long been a significant hub of origin, transit, and destination countries for migrants and their families. It has the third biggest number of international migrants in Asia, behind India and China.

Migration has caused complex burdens on health security in the region, including risks of communicable diseases, occupational injuries and accidents, mental health problems, non-communicable diseases, and maternal and child health. Infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) remain challenges to ASEAN members, with some countries still recording a high incidence of TB, HIV, and malaria cases.

Vietnam and IOM advocate for strengthened regional tie to improve migrants’ health. Photo: VGA

Most notably, the Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam are among the 30 countries recording the highest rates of TB infections in the world.

ASEAN can currently be seen as uneven in terms of health services. Meanwhile, universal health coverage is a challenging target to be reached, even among citizens in their countries, not to mention migrants.

IOM’s recent studies have highlighted the challenges faced by cross-border migrants in accessing healthcare, including language barriers, discrimination, financial constraints, lack of portable health insurance across borders, and lack of official cross-border referral mechanisms for migrant patients. They can be made even more vulnerable in pandemic situations due to inadequate access to needed health care and services, as shown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said that the workshop is an excellent opportunity for all ASEAN countries to collectively assess the current situation and trends of migration in the region and the world, and its impacts on socio-economic development and can share lesson learned, initiatives and policy recommendations to promote the health of migrants in ASEAN to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN member states as well as with our partners in migrant health.

Ms. Park Mi-hyung, chief of Mission of the IOM in Vietnam, highly appreciated the cooperation between the IOM and the Health Ministry.

She also highlighted the progress made by the IOM and ASEAN countries in terms of promoting action plans on migrants’ health in accordance with the Global Compact for Migration./.