Health of Migrants: Approaches from a Public Health Ethics Perspective

‘How do we know when it is dawn? When we have enough light to recognise, in the face of the stranger, that of our sister.’1 Despite the fact that Europe, the USA and Australia have considerably more resources to support health care (among other social and economic benefits) than other reception countries such as Pakistan and Iran, there is little consensus between or within countries about an acceptable standard of health care for different migrant groups, such as undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and temporary workers. There is also considerable disagreement about how this health care might be accessed, or the philosophical and human rights positions that underpin discussions concerning access and delivery.