Health approves a health protocol for the care of migrant minors

The Ministry of Health states that "although the most visible are the arrivals by sea, the child population that arrives to the islands has a much more diverse and complex profile"

April 29 2023 (18:50 WEST)
Migrant minors arriving on the coasts of the Canary Islands. Efe/Carlos de Saá
Migrant minors arriving on the coasts of the Canary Islands. Efe/Carlos de Saá

The Canary Islands Health Service has published the Healthcare protocol for migrant minors: Children on the move, a document that will serve as a frame of reference for healthcare for migrant minors, accompanied or not, and in a way that is "independent of their origin or migratory situation", the Government of the Canary Islands stated in a press release.

This protocol is a document prepared by a multidisciplinary team of professionals under the coordination of the General Directorate of Assistance Programs. In addition, the Canarian Executive warns that it presents an "integral and transversal approach, and contemplates the specific needs of migrant minors in all stages, both upon arrival and during their stay in the Archipelago."

Likewise, it focuses on the different physical and mental health needs presented by this group, shaped by experiences in their countries of origin, including the health system, their migratory transit and living conditions in the host community. Likewise, the Ministry of Health indicates that "the protocol is an example of the importance of taking a biopsychosocial approach to healthcare, which considers both clinical and psychological aspects and the social determinants of health."

Preparation and dissemination

The Children on the move protocol, coordinated by the General Directorate of Assistance Programs, has been prepared by a multi-professional team of health professionals from all the Health Areas of the Canary Islands. Among them, there are professionals from Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Nursing, Social Work, Psychiatry and Psychology, and it has had the participation of technicians from the general directorates of Public Health of the SCS and Protection of Children and the Family of the Ministry of Social Rights, Equality, Diversity and Youth.

To facilitate the implementation and maximum dissemination of this tool, specific face-to-face training will be carried out in all Health Areas using the teaching system of "trainer of trainers" to convey its details and objectives to all professionals involved in assisting these migrant minors.

Migration and health

The contemporary phenomenon of migratory flows poses a "specific casuistry" in the Canary Islands regarding the provision of healthcare to foreign minors, both unaccompanied and accompanied, in accordance with the rights-based approach to children and with the legal and social protection established in the national legal system.

Although the most visible are the arrivals by sea, the child population that arrives to the islands has a much more diverse and complex profile, which makes it necessary to have a protocol that includes all these singularities and responds to the care demands of these people from a comprehensive and professional perspective.

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