Several members of our DignityFIRM team — Nora Gottlieb, Irene Palla, Berta Güell, Imanol Legarda Díaz-Aguado, Andreas W. Gold, Ifunanya Concilia Dimaku, and Kayvan Bozorgmehr — have contributed an insightful commentary titled “Narrative change for inclusionary health and migration policies” to the Lancet special issue “Addressing migration and health inequity in Europe”. This edition, guest edited by Bernadette Kumar and Karl Blanchet, co-Chairs of the Lancet Migration European Regional Hub, explores critical health challenges and innovative solutions in migration health.
In our commentary, we critically reflect on the gaps between the ideal of universal health coverage (UHC) and the reality that many migrants are excluded from national health systems. We emphasize the need for a narrative shift to foster more inclusive health and migration policies that counteract prevailing exclusionary discourses. Our team discusses how deeply ingrained, misanthropic narratives, often based on unverified or counterfactual information, dominate public discourse. We argue for the importance of integrating narrative change that considers emotions, values, and subjective beliefs alongside evidence when formulating policies. We advocate for an approach that moves beyond merely highlighting problems, offering constructive, value-based solutions instead

First launch: May 28, 2024 – Don’t miss the series launch on addressing migration and health inequity in Europe at Campus Biotech, Geneva. Event details and registration.