Global health diasporas: Tamil migrant doctors in times of war, Covid-19 and economic depression in Sri Lanka

Most of the research studies about the Tamil diaspora do not address health, but rather focus on political and economic issues. Due to the ongoing disparities of health in Sri Lanka caused by the war, the Covid-19 pandemic, and economic crisis, it seems to be crucial to look at whether the diaspora actually tries to improve the health situation in their communities of origin. I analyse the health-related activities of the global Tamil diaspora organisations in various periods of the conflict in Sri Lanka: during wartime (1983–2009), the postwar period (2009–2020) and the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis (since 2020). I do that in the context of the broader worldwide Tamil diaspora, particularly in five main Western destination countries: United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. The study reveals that the Tamil health diaspora runs different transnational health projects depending on changing political circumstances in Sri Lanka.