Healthcare access for migrant children in England during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Access to healthcare services without discrimination is fundamental to the right to health. The principles of equitable, accessible, affordable healthcare are also embedded within the United Nations (UN) resolution on Universal Health Coverage, hailed as ‘the single most powerful concept that public health has to offer’ by the former WHO director-general.1 In 2016, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child raised significant concerns regarding healthcare access inequalities between migrant and non-migrant children in the UK.2 These unresolved concerns and subsequent serious child health consequences have been echoed repeatedly by leading health and migrant support experts.3 The global COVID-19 pandemic and impacts of mitigation policies have dealt multiple blows to the health and well-being of many sectors of the population, particularly those already living precarious lives. Migrant families and children are recognised as a group already burdened with health challenges and barriers to healthcare access which risk further exacerbation during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.3 The ongoing public health crisis presents an urgent and distinctive opportunity to permanently address the unacceptable hostile policy and practice environment that restricts equitable healthcare access, endangers child health and so poorly enables the rights of migrant children to be realised. In 2017, an estimated 6 208 000 foreign national individuals resided in the UK, including 332 604 children and young people (CYP) from the European Economic Area (EEA+) and 332 000 undocumented CYP. An estimated 133 000 CYP without secure immigration status were estimated to be living in London alone.4 Undetected victims of international human trafficking, including family units and children, are likely to number in their thousands.5 In 2018, asylum seekers represented approximately 6% of immigrants (34 500 people) in the UK.6 Five thousand six hundred and fifty-five dependent children under the age of 18 years were included in asylum …