The way towards Migrant Sensitive Occupational Health Care System

Abstract

Abstract Background The European Union (EU) is facing to the demographic challenge of the ageing society on the one hand and a growing influx of migrants on the other hand. Although since 2008 WHO repeatedly called member states for developing ’migrant sensitive’ health care system, still there is a significant shortage in education programs, aiming to build the required human capacity in general, and on the field of occupational health, no any initiative could be observed aiming to empower the service providers with the additional knowledge and skills for facilitating the safe integration of the migrant workforce into the EU’s economy. Objectives University of Pécs Medical School (UPMS) has integrated migrant and ethnic minority health - as a new overarching topic - in its optional and/ or regular training program. Occupational health and migration belongs to the compulsory part of the education. Results Each study year more than two hundreds Hungarian, English and German speaking medical students meet at least at a ’sensitization’ level the migrant specific aspects of occupational health. In order to improve and - in the need - even extend our program on this field, we have launched a ’quick response’ questionnaire research among the students, asking for their opinion, how they see the importance and necessity of this topic within the frame of their medical training. 67 % of the 2012 students highly and/ or mostly agreed with our initiative and 87 % founded the topic very relevant. The majority of the students have expressed that the training has changed their views. Conclusions The endowers of UPMS, as a WHO Collaborating Centre on the field of migration heath training and research are in accordance with WHO newly adopted ’Strategy and action plan for refugee and migrant health and achieves every year several hundreds of medical students who are already ’sensitized’ towards the health of migrants. Key messages EU economy needs migrant sensitive health workforce ont he field of occupational health. Medical studens understood the need for migration health training.