The Role of Laboratory Medicine in Addressing Migrant Health Problems

INTRODUCTION: A migrant is a person who has relocated to another country for varying reasons. Laboratory medicine is a medical speciality in which body specimens are examined and results interpreted for the appropriate management of patients in healthy and diseased states. HEALTH CHALLENGES OF MIGRANTS: Migrants have health problems like the general population but may be affected by factors such as their geographic origin, living conditions, and their physical and psychological conditions. THE ROLE OF LABORATORY MEDICINE: Laboratory medicine will play a vital role in the provision of quality healthcare services to migrants. It will be actively involved in the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of response to treatment. Effective public health surveillance among migrants will require laboratory services. The data gathered from research using laboratory resources will help in the improvement of the quality of migrant health.