In this fifth episode of our six-part miniseries (see notes for 'useful links' to other episodes), we examine the intersection of migration, displacement, and health systems in fragile settings. With over 1 billion people on the move globally, including 84 million forcibly displaced, this episode addresses the challenges and opportunities that migration presents to health systems.

Our co-host, Dr. Joanna Raven, joins us alongside Professor Fouad Fouad and Dr. Santino Severoni, to share their experiences and insights on how health systems can respond to the needs of migrants and refugees through integration, cultural changes, and evidence-based practices.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the discussion on migration, displacement, and health systems resilience in fragile settings

01:00 Meet the Experts: Professor Fouad Mohammad Fouad and Dr. Santino Severoni

02:56 Global Migration and Displacement: Setting the Scene

07:56 Challenges Faced by Health Systems

09:13 Integration and Parallel Health Systems

13:11 WHO's Role and Strategic Approaches

17:11 Examples of Good Practices from Different Countries

21:48 Final Thoughts and Advice for Future Work

24:12 Conclusion and Next Episode Teaser

In this episode:

Dr Joanna Raven - Reader in health systems, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Jo has worked in global health for more than 25 years, focusing on strengthening health systems. Jo is a researcher with a passion for co-designing and implementing health system research with local stakeholders including community members, health workers, health managers and decision makers. As a health worker herself, Jo’s work focuses on supporting the health workforce to deliver people-centred care that is of good quality and leaves no one behind.

Dr. Fouad Fouad - Professor of Global Health and Social Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Fouad has extensive research on migration and health, focusing on multidisciplinary approaches to forced displacement, health systems in humanitarian settings, and the political economy of health in protracted crises. Fouad is also the IDRC Chair of the Forced Displacement Program in the Middle East and the Co-Director of the Refugee Health Program at the Global Health Institute. His role as a member of several technical working groups, including the WHO Global Consultation on the Health of Migrants and Refugees and the Global Research Agenda on Health and Migration, underscores his expertise and influence in the field. Fouad served as a commissioner in the UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health (2018) and is currently a commissioner in the Lancet Commission on Health, Conflict, and Forced Migration.

Dr. Santino Severoni - Director of the WHO Department of Health and Migration, World Health Organization

Dr. Severoni is the Director of the Department of Health and Migration at WHO headquarters in Geneva. With over 24 years of experience, he has held senior roles at the WHO Regional Office for Europe and worked globally in health sector reforms, system strengthening, and complex emergency management. His career includes serving as WHO Representative in Albania and Tajikistan. Since 2011, he has focused on public health aspects of migration, leading efforts to implement global migration and refugee compacts and coordinating WHO’s first World Report on the Health of Refugees and Migrants.

Useful links

• WHO global action plan on promoting the health of refugees and migrants, 2019–2030
• Promoting the health of refugees and migrants: experiences from around the world - Compendium referenced by Dr. Santino