Refugee integration in national health systems of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)
Evidence Synthesis and Future Research Agenda
Bibliographic Data
This paper reviews evidence on healthcare responses for refugees, documenting the different approaches and their effectiveness and impact in particular in relation to supporting integrating refugees into national health systems. The review adopted a purposeful, iterative approach, utilizing electronic databases, grey literature, and reference lists from relevant studies. A total of 167 studies, primarily from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), focusing on refugees and forcibly displaced persons with empirical data, were included. The review highlights a substantial literature on refugee health and healthcare access, with well-covered areas including delivery models, access barriers, gaps in coverage, and specific health services such as psychosocial care, non-communicable diseases, mental health, and maternal and child health. However, less attention is given to integration models, health system responses, and their impact on system resilience and social cohesion. Few studies examine the costs, feasibility, or sustainability of integration models, and little research focuses on health system perspectives or comparative analyses. Moreover, the host health system's status, capacity, and needs are often underexplored. Some countries are particularly well-represented in studies, e.g. Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Uganda. There is however a paucity of data that would provide the basis for more quantitative or analytical evaluation from a systems perspective. This gap highlights the need for further research on effective integration models, their operational aspects, and their long-term impact on local health systems' resilience and sustainability. To support this research agenda, we propose a conceptual framework to provide analytic guidance for future research on healthcare responses for refugees and health system integration
Global Health Workforce Issues · Global Maternal and Child Health · Migration, Health and Trauma
Global call to action for inclusion of migrants and refugees in the Covid-19 response
Effects of non-health-targeted policies on migrant health
A systematic literature review of reported challenges in health care delivery to migrants and refugees in high-income countries - the 3C model
What does ‘leave no one behind’ mean for humanitarian crises-affected populations in the Covid-19 pandemic
Strengthening the primary care workforce to deliver high-quality care for non-communicable diseases in refugee settings
Refugee Policy Amidst Global Shocks
Health system resilience
A community–based system dynamics approach for understanding factors affecting mental Health and Health seeking behaviors in Beirut and Beqaa regions of Lebanon
Quality of health care for refugees – a systematic review
Improving primary health care quality for refugees and asylum seekers
Policy exclusion or confusion? Perspectives on universal health coverage for migrants and refugees in South Africa
Lessons learnt from coordinating emergency health response during humanitarian crises
How integration of refugees into national health systems became a global priority
Utilization of outpatient services in refugee settlement health facilities
Efficiency Analysis of Syrian Refugees’ Healthcare Services in Turkey and Other 3RP States
Time to Rethink Refugee and Migrant Health in Europe
Health System Responses to the Health Needs of Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Malaysia
Social determinants and mental health needs of Palestine refugees and UNRWA responses in Gaza during the Covid-19 pandemic
Association between distress and displacement settings
Public health response to large influx of asylum seekers
Maternal Health Care Utilization Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon and Jordan
Health system governance in settings with conflict-affected populations
The impact of Covid-19 on Venezuelan migrants’ access to health
Integration and social cohesion in the migrants' neighborhood in Karachi, Pakistan
Protracted Refugee Situations
Does Facilitated and Early Access to the Healthcare System Improve Refugees’ Health Outcomes? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Germany
When ‘brothers and sisters’ become ‘foreigners’
The politics of return
Understanding Integration
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |