It is particularly important for us (EMZ/EMC Inc.) to point out that we prefer programs for migrants that address the target groups in cooperation with NGOs, governments and private organizations from the health industry. Our experience is that such concerted cooperation makes it easier to create trust, sustainability and effectiveness. Easier than when everyone wants to reach the goal alone. We do this, for example, in MiMi vaccination programs that we carry out in cooperation with the National Ministry of Health in Germany. We run another MiMi program on health and vaccination together with the Bavarian government and MDS in Bavaria. For example, we carried out vaccination activities in refugee
shelters with the health department in Munich. Our transcultural health mediators accompanied vaccination teams from the public health department, coached those involved on site, interpreted or provided information if necessary. In this way, trust, reliable information and the vaccination rate could be increased. On both sides. We also cooperate with the German Bundeswehr on health measures, because a large proportion of the soldiers in the Bundeswehr have a migration biography and in the context of NATO operations, the topic is once again of particular importance.
Another aspect is multilingualism, which must be more respected than before. Language should not be a barrier to accessing health services. Unfortunately, this barrier is still very high in Europe.
The third important conceptual approach is that programs for professionals in health services are also needed. Because among the professionals there is a surprising amount of helplessness when dealing with and working with migrant groups. Information and education are therefore needed not only for migrants but also for healthcare providers and their professionals.
Here it becomes clear that in order to achieve these goals, increased activities in the field of research, networking of knowledge clusters and the direct participation of migrant stakeholder clusters are necessary. We consider the latter to be fundamental, because working with migrants contributes to empowerment, health literacy, trust and action bridges between the different levels. Networked action makes sense at local and international levels, in practice and in theory.
It is also important that the many “vaccination task forces” also take into account the topic of “vaccination of migrants/refugees” and the corresponding representatives of the migrants.
In order to ensure the participation of migrants to increase health literacy or vaccination readiness, not only in Germany but also in many other European Union states programs have proven themselves that specifically and directly address these target groups and programs that work on the basis of concepts with transcultural health mediators. It is precisely these two approaches that also contribute to developing health competence and empowerment. We describe it as “With migrants for migrants!”
Summing it all up, the main goal to increase immunization readiness and my main suggestion is to focus all Recommendations around the topic of ‘breaking down barriers’. All information and services must be accessible to everyone via analogue and digital channels, considering language, culture, education, religion, gender and age. If it is possible for this guideline to come alive anywhere in the world, then Europe (EU) is the place where this is most likely to happen.