The Rights and Health of Forced Migrants
Fact sheet, April 2017
by Veronica Merotta
Although the European Parliament and the European Commission have recently stressed the importance of providing healthcare to vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers, the ap-plication of this principle has ultimately been given to member states and in particular to the member states alongside the EU external border.
More specifically, both EU institutions have urged the Member States to adopt policies on health promotion and prevention by guaranteeing free, universal and quality healthcare – in particular, primary healthcare, preventive medicine, and access to diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation (European Parliament, 2016).