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Access of migrants and refugees to healthcare

Doc. 16412: compendium of written amendments | Doc. 16412 | 24/06/2026 | Provisional version

Compendium index

Amendment 8 Amendment 9 Amendment 1 Amendment 2 Amendment 3 Amendment 4 Amendment 5 Amendment 6 Amendment 7

Caption: AdoptedRejectedWithdrawnNo electronic votes

ADraft Resolution

1The Parliamentary Assembly affirms the imperative of ensuring that migrants and refugees have effective access to healthcare, including mental healthcare, in order to fully realise the fundamental right to health as enshrined in international human rights law for all persons, and underscores that such access is also essential from a public health perspective.
2The importance of applicable international and regional legal instruments cannot be underestimated, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 5) (notably Articles 3 and 8), as interpreted in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as relevant principles of international humanitarian law, in ensuring the protection of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, including with regard to access to healthcare. It is furthermore important to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular those relating to universal health coverage and the effective management of health emergencies.

24 June 2026

Tabled by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

In the draft resolution, paragraph 2, after the first sentence, insert the following sentence:

“Moreover, member States that are Parties to the European Social Charter (ETS No. 35) and the European Social Charter (revised) (ETS No. 163) undertake to ensure “the effective exercise of the right to protection of health” (Article 11) and to uphold the right to social and medical assistance for anyone without adequate protection (Article 13).”

3Recommendation CM/Rec(2011)13 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on mobility, migration and access to healthcare underscores the responsibilities of national and local authorities and the key role of organisations working to maintain and restore health.
4The Assembly has repeatedly drawn attention to migrants’ and refugees’ precarious health and their difficulties in accessing health and social services, including in Resolution 2504 (2023) “Health and social protection of undocumented workers or those in an irregular situation” and Resolution 2627 (2025) “Promoting universal health coverage”.
5Migrants face extreme physical and mental precariousness when arriving on European soil. Their health situation is shaped by a combination of structural, institutional and individual factors that may significantly hinder effective access to healthcare and exacerbate existing conditions. These include, inter alia, legal and administrative barriers; insufficient availability, accessibility or continuity of healthcare services, including vaccination; inadequate reception conditions and precarious living or employment situations; as well as individual challenges such as limited knowledge of rights, fear of approaching authorities or services, language and health-literacy barriers, stigma, distrust and the cumulative impact of perilous and traumatic migration journeys.
6Women and girls in migration are disproportionately exposed to trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence and exploitation, and face intersectional discrimination based on sex, migration status, poverty, disability and age. These factors, compounded by legal and administrative barriers, language obstacles, lack of information and inadequate screening and referral, limit timely access to essential services, including sexual and reproductive and maternal healthcare, mental health support and protection services. There are moreover insufficient training of professionals and gaps in culturally-appropriate care. Failure to ensure targeted access exacerbates maternal morbidity, untreated trauma and intergenerational harms to children, including developmental and psychiatric disorders. The Assembly therefore underscores the need for gender-responsive, trauma-informed and accessible healthcare pathways for women and girls.
7With regard to migrant children, the Assembly underlines the necessity to harmonise age-assessment procedures for unaccompanied children, consistent with Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)22 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on human rights principles and guidelines on age assessment in the context of migration.
8The Assembly thus invites Council of Europe member States as well as States whose parliament enjoys observer status with the Assembly to:
8.1avoid relying on externalised migration and asylum policies, including return hubs, which systematically curtail healthcare access or shift protection burdens onto areas lacking the necessary infrastructure and safeguards;

24 June 2026

Tabled by Ms Elisabetta GARDINI, Ms Ester MIELI, Ms Victoria TIBLOM, Ms Deborah BERGAMINI, Mr Markus WIECHEL, Mr Fabio PIETRELLA, Ms Cristina Gabriella DUMITRESCU, Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO, Ms Dumitrina MITREA, Ms Iryna KONSTANKEVYCH, Ms Maria Cristina CARETTA, Mr José María SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA, Mr Alexander Van HATTEM, Mr Martin GRAF, Ms Alexandra SCHOOS

Falls if amendment 8 is adopted.

In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 8.1 with the following paragraph:

"ensure that, in the event of the externalisation of migration policy, return hubs are provided with adequate infrastructure and protective measures, as well as adequate access to healthcare;"

8.2strengthen their domestic legal framework through stable national migration legislation, with a view to including migrants and refugees in national health insurance schemes;

24 June 2026

Tabled by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

In the draft resolution, at the end of paragraph 8.2, insert the following words:

“, emphasising preventive primary care;”

8.3move towards a universal healthcare framework for migrants, in line with the central political commitment of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the subject of target 3.8 of Sustainable Development Goal 3. This implies facilitating access to adequate healthcare cover for all foreign nationals lawfully residing in the country, including improved access to relevant medicines and in sufficient quantities, and ensuring the availability of adequate healthcare infrastructure, including purpose-built premises with fully equipped consultation rooms and spaces;

24 June 2026

Tabled by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

In the draft resolution, paragraph 8.3, first sentence, after the words "in line with", insert the following words:

"the European Social Charter and"

8.4commit to protecting migrants’ and refugees’ health and, more broadly, public health in the short and long term. This implies equality and inclusion in healthcare through integrated migrant health policies and investment in preventive and primary care, including in reception and detention centres, in so-called “hotspots” culturally sensitive care and in hospitals;
8.5ensure, with regard to mental health, access of migrants and refugees to psychological and psychiatric care and treatment to respond to symptoms of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. When appropriate, and as recommended by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the Assembly recommends developing strategic plans for the sustained support of persons fleeing war and other emergencies, with an emphasis on addressing mental health needs and delivering psychosocial support through community-based approaches, including in schools and reception settings;
8.6ensure access of migrants and refugees to information about their rights. This implies providing effective communication on services and materials related to health, including through brochures and other written information available in an appropriate range of languages. The Assembly also strongly encourages the relevant authorities to provide interpretation services and cultural mediators in relevant languages, with appropriate culturally sensitive training.

24 June 2026

Tabled by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

In the draft resolution, after paragraph 8.6, insert the following paragraph:

“collaborate with international health organisations to develop secure, interoperable and portable digital patient summaries for refugees and asylum seekers in transit, ensuring that essential medical history, immunisation records and allergy data travel with the patient, thereby reducing redundant testing and preventing treatment interruptions.”

9The Assembly further encourages health authorities to:
9.1ensure that migrants and refugees have free access to healthcare from the moment of first arrival, including emergency and other necessary healthcare, as well as access to vaccination and medicines. In this context, health authorities should prevent public and private healthcare providers from reporting migrants who are irregularly present in the country to the immigration authorities. The Assembly further encourages a systematic comprehensive medical examination by a healthcare professional to identify vulnerabilities and ensure appropriate placement, including for vulnerable populations such as women and unaccompanied children;

24 June 2026

Tabled by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

In the draft resolution, paragraph 9.1, first sentence, after the words "necessary healthcare", insert the following words:

"(such as maternal and neonatal care, essential treatment of chronic diseases and urgent mental health support)"

9.2invite healthcare professionals to pay particular attention to the existence of any injuries. They should also screen for transmissible diseases – including systematic screening for signs of tuberculosis, and voluntary testing for HIV, hepatitis B/C –, chronic diseases and long-term conditions such as diabetes. Such policies help to prevent and tackle ill-treatment and to protect public health overall. However, the Assembly underlines that the decision to segregate a person for health reasons should be limited in duration and grounded in the principles of necessity, proportionality and respect for human dignity;
9.3strengthen the capacities and qualifications of healthcare staff, including general practitioners, nurses and psychosocial support staff.

24 June 2026

Tabled by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

In the draft resolution, after paragraph 9.3, insert the following paragraph:

“facilitate the recognition of professional qualifications of refugees and migrants who are trained healthcare professionals, so that they can contribute to domestic health systems and to delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate care to migrant populations;”

10The Assembly furthermore encourages eligible Council of Europe member States to make full use of the opportunities provided by the Council of Europe Development Bank to strengthen healthcare infrastructure, equipment and staffing, in particular in reception and detention centres.

24 June 2026

Tabled by the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

In the draft resolution, paragraph 10, replace the words “eligible Council of Europe member States” with the following words:

“Council of Europe member States concerned to fully implement the European Social Charter and”

11Finally, the Assembly calls on its own members, in their capacity both as national lawmakers and as members of the Assembly, to act at European and domestic levels to promote the relevant Council of Europe instruments, standards and expertise as well as to align national legislation and practice with the recommendations set out above.