Migration and Health Webinar Five: Health care of pregnant migrant and refugee women and newborn children

Tuesday, 10 April 2018, 12:30 – 14:00 CET

Migrants and refugees in Europe generally have poorer maternal health outcomes than native-born populations, and their needs are often unnoticed and unaddressed. Suboptimal access to or utilization of care related to pregnancy is one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality among pregnant migrant women and newborns, and most deaths from such direct causes are preventable.

This webinar will focus on the promotion of maternal and newborn health in the context of growing migration flows and the increasing proportion of women among migrant and refugee populations. This is important for ensuring the rights and well-being of women and children, but is also integral for longer-term sustainable development.

The webinar will discuss:

• the current epidemiological picture of maternal and newborn health, and discrepancies between migrant and native-born populations;
• the specific health challenges faced by pregnant migrant and refugee women, their increased vulnerabilities and the barriers they face to achieving reproductive health;
• how wider determinants such as gender-based violence, asylum procedures, health-seeking behaviours and uncertainty about legal status impact entitlement to, and utilization of, care; and
• the tools and policies that have been implemented throughout the WHO European Region to address this challenge.

Panellists

• Birgitta Essén, Uppsala University, Sweden
• Ines Keygnaert, Ghent University, Belgium
• Nino Berdzuli, WHO/Europe

Moderator

Christy Feig, Former Head of Communications, WHO

The webinar series is one of 5 key elements of the Knowledge Hub, alongside an annual summer school, policy dialogues, a knowledge library and high-level summits. The series is a collaborative effort under the Migration and Health Knowledge Management (MiHKMa) project, funded by the European Commission.

Live stream: www.euro.who.int/KHHMWebinars