World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21st marked an opportunity to remember the importance of cultural competency and intercultural dialogue within health-care systems. This becomes especially crucial during a worldwide pandemic like COVID-19 when migrants and refugees risk being marginalized. They may encounter social, political, economic, linguistic and cultural barriers when trying to access health-care services. Culture mediates both care-giving and care-receiving. Recently WHO/Europe has documented the efficiency in using intercultural-mediators in helping migrants and refugees access quality healthcare. A few of the many contributions intercultural-mediators offer include translating, advocating against institutional discrimination, and offering psychosocial support. WHO/Europe strongly recommends the integration of intercultural mediators into health-care systems across the European Region to provide equitable care to refugees and migrants. While responding to COVID-19 and developing strategies to transition to a “new normal”, Member States should implement measures that are culturally sensitive to effectively reach refugee and migrant communities.
Read more about WHO’s response to COVID-19