Discrimination as a health systems response to forced migration

We argue that the health systems response to forced migration in Europe and the broader societal response reflected upon its operations are characterised by discrimination and have recreated discriminatory and infrahumanising discourses already prevalent in the host countries. We propose that the discrimination manifested in health systems response to forced migration can be understood from sociopsychological and biopolitical perspectives by considering the restriction of entitlements and access to health care and the (real or feared) unfavourable health status of migrants as rationales for discrimination through infrahumanisation. We briefly review sociopsychological and biopolitical approaches to conceptualising discrimination and provide the concepts of infrahumanisation and health-based deservingness as a point of juncture. Next, we provide the case examples of discrimination as the health systems response through hostile environments, surveillance and screening. Finally, we suggest an updated ethics of care as a possible strategy for the social inclusion of migrants in health care systems.