about usResearch and Assistance for Burmese Refugees and Migrants
Introduction to Our Activities
Research on Migrant Health
Health Care for Refugees and Migrants
The current state of health care for migrants has been closely followed through assistance provided to Burmese migrants along the border between Thailand and Myanmar (see the activities of Japan Association for Mae Tao Clinic (JAM)). Migration in this region has been ongoing for more than 20 years, resulting in a chronic emergency with more and more people living outside refugee camps. The Mae Tao Clinic (MTC) has not only enhanced diagnosis and treatment, but also strengthened regional healthcare. Healthcare has been expanded for migrant communities, which do not have health centers or other healthcare facilities, through migrant schools, which provide the only community network available. Within this context, the department has actively engaged in research on forming and enhancing school health infrastructure, the results of which have led to improvements in the health of community residents and not just academic publications. During the current democratization of Myanmar, people, who had once been political refugees, are searching for a path leading to assimilation in Thai society. Although improvements in health care for migrants have been made, access to health care services in Thailand for migrants is still difficult due to identity registration issues, economic issues, cultural and language barriers and a variety of other factors
The number of migrants around the world is 214,000,000 (WHO).
With the increased importance of universal health coverage, research has begun on improvement of health care for migrants, who tend to fall through the cracks between their home country and receiving country.
Link JAM http://www.japanmaetao.org/
