GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The following principles will guide the response for refugees by UNHCR:
Universal Access to Health Care and Equity
• Support universal access to health care for refugees at equal levels and at similar costs to that of nationals.
• Health services should be anchored in the principles of primary health care (PHC).
• Ensure the establishment of one public health programme for all refugees in the country of asylum, regardless of their country of origin.
• Ensure that the most socio-economically deprived refugees are receiving targeted support to access health care services, while ensuring that social protection and safety nets are available for
vulnerable refugees so that they can access services equitably.
Appropriateness
• Access to primary health care and cost effective interventions at secondary health care level will take precedence over long term costly secondary and tertiary care, and be based on country level
standard operating procedures.
• Promote cost-effective, evidence-based interventions, including the use of essential medicines and rational use of diagnostics.
• Support the rationalization of services by identifying and supporting a select number of quality service providers/ facilities for primary and essential referral care.
Integrated Approaches and Sustainability
• Ensure that public health services for refugees are embedded into the national public health system.
• The establishment of parallel health services will be supported only where necessary to cover short term needs, while working on mainstreaming refugees in the national public health system.
• Support health system strengthening while ensuring that immediate and short-term needs of refugees are addressed.
Evidenced-based decision making
• Promote the collection of data on health status, health outcomes, programme quality and impact to improve evidence based decision-making regarding health interventions.
Partnerships
• Ensure strong partnerships with government, UN agencies and national and international NGOs and communities of refugees, utilising comparative added advantage of partners while ensuring a refugee inclusive approach.
Capacity Building
• Promote and strengthen the capacities of key stakeholders and partners to ensure a refugee inclusive approach based on international humanitarian public health principles.
Promotion of National Coordination Mechanisms
• The overall responsibility of coordinating the health sector response for refugees will be with the Ministry of Health. UNHCR will provide support in carrying out this responsibility.
• Ensure that refugee health coordination is decentralized, action-oriented and driven by key outputs.