Weijun Yu
Opportunities and Challenges in Access to Healthcare for International Migrants with Work-related Diseases and Injuries in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries
Weijun Yu
Center for Global Health Practice and Impact
Georgetown University Medical Center
weijun.yu@georgetown.edu
Deus Bazira
Center for Global Health Practice and Impact
Georgetown University Medical Center
db1432@georgetown.edu
International labor migrants are a vital component of the workforce in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), collectively hosting nearly 30 million migrants, representing over 11.7% of the global migrant workforce. Despite their essential contributions, these migrants face significant challenges in accessing healthcare services, especially when challenged with work-related diseases and injuries. To date, there is a critical knowledge gap regarding the availability, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare access for this vulnerable population in the GCC region. Our systematic review research project addresses this gap by identifying key barriers and facilitators and offering evidence-based recommendations for policy and practice aimed at improving healthcare access for international labor migrants in the region. Using a robust methodological framework, we systematically screened peer-reviewed studies published between 2013 and 2023 in English or Arabic (with English abstracts) from databases including PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL. Our protocol was pre-registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on April 21, 2024 (Registration No. CRD42024532851), ensuring methodological rigor and transparency. We involved a well-design two-stage screening scheme for abstracts and full texts, performed independently by two reviewers, with a senior reviewer resolving any discrepancies. We screened 2,052 articles, of which 26 empirical studies (qualitative and quantitative) were included for final analysis. To ensure cultural relevance and minimize bias, we engaged co-authors from key migrant labor-exporting countries, such as Nepal and the Philippines, to provide localized perspectives on the evidence-based recommendations. The methodological quality of the included studies is currently appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). This presentation will share key insights on conducting a scientifically rigorous systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We will highlight how to translate significant findings from the existing literature into actionable recommendations for policymakers and local government in the GCC region, promoting equitable healthcare access for international migrants and informing policy changes to address this critical global health issue.
Biographies
Dr. Weijun Yu, PhD, MD, MS, is a Senior Research Officer at the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, where she specializes in advancing evidence-based policy and practice through data science, epidemiology, implementation science, and health services outcomes research. She is an active Fellow Member of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK) and serves as an Academic Editor for PLOS ONE. Her work includes numerous publications in top-tier international journals and contributions to multiple occupational medical treatment guidelines developed by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Dr. Deus Bazira, DrPH, MPH, MBA, is the director of Georgetown University Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, the inaugural director of the Georgetown University Global Health Institute, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Georgetown’s School of Medicine. He leads a multidisciplinary team working to strengthen health systems and solve intractable public health challenges through implementation and improvement science, data science, and health technology solutions in several countries. Dr. Bazira has undertaken research in public-private partnership in health, diffusion of health innovations, innovative health financing under decentralized systems, pharmaceutical regulation, hospital governance, and efficiency.