Child's silhouette filled with interconnected medical symbols and European flags

Migrant Children's Healthcare: Are European Systems Failing?

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Lena Voss in Health & Wellness October 2026 • 5 min read.

"A look at the challenges migrating children face in accessing healthcare within Europe, and what can be done to bridge the gap."


Across Europe, healthcare systems face increasing pressure to provide care for a growing population of migrating children. These children, often fleeing conflict, poverty, or persecution, arrive with unique health needs and vulnerabilities. However, inconsistent policies and systemic barriers across EU member states hinder their access to essential medical services.

Médecins du Monde (MdM), an international organization providing medical care to vulnerable populations, has been tracking the healthcare access challenges faced by migrants in Europe since 2006. Their research reveals significant disparities between national laws and practices, leaving many children without the care they need. This article dives into MdM's findings, exposing the gaps in European healthcare systems and advocating for equitable solutions.

We'll explore the legal frameworks designed to protect children's health, the realities on the ground as reflected in recent data, and the specific barriers that migrating children encounter when trying to access healthcare. By understanding these challenges, we can advocate for policies and practices that ensure all children in Europe, regardless of their migration status, receive the medical care they deserve.

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Displacement and Children

A WHO fact sheet dated March 25, 2026, estimates that 117.3 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide. It breaks this total down into 73.5 million internally displaced people, 36.4 million refugees and 8.4 million asylum seekers. Among them, the fact sheet counts 49 million children, including 2.3 million born into refugee life.

What Current Reviews Map

A scoping review published January 1, 2026, maps evidence on healthcare services for migrant and left-behind children. Its stated scope includes their health needs, service provision, barriers and facilitators to access, and gaps in care. The source describes the review’s scope, rather than reporting findings about which approaches work best.

Legal Rights vs. Real-World Access: Why Are Migrant Children Falling Through the Cracks?

Child's silhouette filled with interconnected medical symbols and European flags

International and European legal frameworks clearly state that children have a right to healthcare, regardless of their migration status. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, for example, explicitly states that children should enjoy the highest attainable standard of health. Similarly, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) asserts that every child within an EU member state is entitled to the same healthcare services as native populations, including vaccinations.

Despite these legal protections, the reality for many migrating children is far different. A study by MdM across 13 European countries revealed that only a minority of EU states grant migrant children the same healthcare access as national children. Many countries treat children the same as adults, who face significant difficulties accessing care due to administrative hurdles or lack of insurance.

  • Varying National Laws: Access to healthcare for undocumented children varies widely across Europe, with some countries offering free access, others providing limited access, and some denying access altogether.
  • Age Assessment Issues: Unreliable age assessment methods can lead to children being wrongly classified as adults, denying them the specific protections and healthcare services they are entitled to.
  • Exclusionary Practices: Some European countries, following the European directive 2004/38/EC, limit the right to stay for people without sufficient financial resources and health coverage, disproportionately impacting migrant communities like the Roma.
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Research Priorities for Child Health

The Springer collection on migrant and refugee child health and well-being invites research on the varied factors shaping children’s health. Its named topics include access to pediatric healthcare, nutritional status and growth outcomes. It also highlights the effects of disrupted education on development and well-being.

Guidelines and Implementation Evidence

A qualitative study of healthcare providers examined initial health assessments for children and young people seeking asylum and refugees in Europe. Its source summary notes that European guidelines for their care exist, but evidence on whether those recommendations are implemented is limited. This points to an evidence gap; the snippet does not establish how consistently services follow the guidelines across Europe.

Assessment After Arrival

The WHO policy brief recommends a comprehensive, individualized health assessment for refugee and migrant children as soon as possible after they arrive in the destination country. It specifies that health professionals should carry out the assessment. The stated purpose is to determine each child’s healthcare needs.

These legal and practical barriers have significant consequences for the health and well-being of migrating children. Limited access to vaccinations, for instance, contributes to higher rates of preventable diseases like measles. Furthermore, the stress of navigating complex healthcare systems, coupled with unstable living conditions, can negatively impact their mental and physical health.

Bridging the Gap: A Call to Action for Equitable Healthcare

The research paints a concerning picture of the challenges migrating children face in accessing healthcare across Europe. While legal frameworks exist to protect their rights, the reality on the ground reveals significant disparities and systemic barriers. These barriers not only compromise the health and well-being of these vulnerable children but also undermine the principles of equity and universality that underpin European healthcare systems.

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Needs Depend on a Child’s Circumstances

An article on compassionate, evidence-based care reports that immigrant children’s health needs are highly variable. It says those needs are influenced by a child’s migration path and access to healthcare before and during migration. The source also identifies personal safety and financial, food, and housing security as relevant influences.

Health and the History of Scaremongering

An EthnoMed video published October 25, 2024, introduces facts about migrant children’s health. It also addresses the continued history of racial and ethnic disease scaremongering in the United States. The source presents these as topics for the video, not as a forecast of future health outcomes.

Policy and Health Equity

A 2025 article on policy approaches to health equity reports that immigrant children face distinct challenges in achieving adequate healthcare. It says these challenges arise across many conditions and circumstances. The source identifies policy decisions as a driver that can be addressed.

To address this issue, MdM calls on all European states to prioritize the health of migrating children by offering universal public health systems built on solidarity, equality, and equity. This includes ensuring access to vaccinations, prenatal care, and pediatric services, regardless of migration status. Furthermore, states must address the administrative and financial barriers that prevent people from accessing care and protect migrant children from exploitation and violence.

By translating declarations into action, Europe can uphold its commitment to protecting the rights of all children and ensure that every child, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to thrive.

Healthcare use and health needs in the reported evidence

  • 4%–18%; up to 65% prevalenceReported iron-deficiency anaemia prevalence among children living in Germany and Greece ranged from 4% to 18%; caries prevalence among migrant and refugee children in the UK was reported as high as 65%.[1]
  • two thirds; 14% of childrenIn a cohort of Ukrainian paediatric refugees, two thirds were screened for HCV and TB, while 14% were screened for HIV.[2]
  • 27.8% (95% CI 27.1–28.6) prevalenceAcross migrants in Europe, the estimated prevalence of unmet healthcare needs was 27.8% (95% CI 27.1–28.6).[3]

Why legal entitlement may not mean access in practice

A legal right to care does not by itself remove obstacles: the review describes barriers including administrative requirements, language difficulties, lack of knowledge, fear of being reported, discrimination, and refusal of care.[4]

The reported gap between healthcare entitlements and care received is linked to restrictive policies being misapplied, administrative barriers, and wrongful discrimination by healthcare gatekeepers. This points to implementation as part of the access problem, not just the wording of policy.[5]

How child-focused findings compare with broader evidence

The European estimate for unmet healthcare needs concerns migrants generally, while the comparison estimate concerns the EU population; neither is a child-specific benchmark for the figures above.[3]

The initial-assessment findings reflect perspectives from 16 clinicians in eight European countries recruited through expert networks using snowball sampling, so they describe a limited set of professional accounts.[6]

Those accounts identify insufficient documentation, limited funding and staffing, patient relocation, and inadequate infrastructure as barriers to migrant healthcare.[6]

A separate review of communication strategies identifies training and uncertainty about the roles of mediators and interpreters as policy concerns, alongside calls for intersectoral dialogue.[7]

What further evidence could clarify about care for migrant children

  • How do child migrants’ health profiles compare across countries when the available descriptions are limited, country-specific, and focused on particular illnesses?[4]
  • How do barriers and access patterns differ between emergency care and planned healthcare, given that the refugee-care survey addressed urgent and emergency care rather than planned services?[8]
  • How might evidence on communication strategies clarify the roles of mediators and interpreters in putting care strategies into practice?[7]

Sources

  1. Children on the move in Europe: a narrative review of the evidence on the health risks, health needs and health policy for asylum seeking, refugee and undocumented children (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  2. Screening for infectious diseases and vaccination status in Ukrainian paediatric refugees: a retrospective cohort study (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  3. Socio-demographic and regional differences in unmet healthcare needs among migrants in Europe | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
  4. Migrants’ and refugees’ health status and healthcare in Europe: a scoping literature review (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  5. Discriminatory, racist and xenophobic policies and practice against child refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in European health systems (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  6. Initial health assessments of children and young people seeking asylum and refugees in Europe: insights from a qualitative study of health care providers (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  7. What strategies to address communication barriers for refugees and migrants in health care settings have been implemented and evaluated across the WHO European Region? (www.who.int)
  8. Emergency care provided to refugee children in Europe: RefuNET: a cross-sectional survey study (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

What role does Médecins du Monde (MdM) play in understanding the challenges faced by migrating children in accessing healthcare?

Médecins du Monde (MdM) has been tracking healthcare access challenges for migrants in Europe since 2006, revealing significant disparities between national laws and practices. Their findings highlight how inconsistent policies across EU member states hinder migrating children's access to essential medical services, emphasizing the need for equitable solutions.

2

What legal protections are in place to ensure migrating children have access to healthcare in Europe?

According to legal frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children, including migrating children, are entitled to healthcare regardless of their migration status. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) also asserts that every child within an EU member state is entitled to the same healthcare services as native populations, including vaccinations. However, the implementation varies greatly across Europe.

3

What are some of the key barriers that migrating children face when trying to access healthcare?

Migrating children encounter several specific barriers. These include varying national laws that dictate access to healthcare, with some countries offering free access, others limited access, and some denying access altogether. Unreliable age assessment methods can lead to children being wrongly classified as adults, denying them the protections and healthcare services they are entitled to. Furthermore, exclusionary practices, such as those following European directive 2004/38/EC, can limit the right to stay for people without sufficient financial resources and health coverage, impacting migrant communities.

4

What are the consequences of these barriers for migrating children?

These barriers have significant consequences. Limited access to vaccinations contributes to higher rates of preventable diseases like measles. Additionally, the stress of navigating complex healthcare systems, coupled with unstable living conditions, can negatively impact their mental and physical health. The inconsistencies in access undermine the principles of equity and universality that underpin European healthcare systems.

5

What actions are needed to improve healthcare access for migrating children across Europe?

The article calls for equitable healthcare solutions for migrating children. This involves addressing the disparities between legal frameworks and real-world access. Understanding the challenges faced by these children, such as inconsistent national laws, unreliable age assessments, and exclusionary practices, is crucial for advocating for policies and practices that ensure all children in Europe receive the medical care they deserve. Addressing these issues will help uphold the principles of equity and universality in European healthcare.

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