The government will present the findings of a national research study on the health and social status of migrants and mobile populations at a high level symposium in Colombo today, October 13th.

The report, commissioned by the Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Migration Health, with technical and financial support from International Organization for Migration (IOM), examines the health and social status of internal, out-bound and in-bound migrants, and the impact of migration on the families that they leave behind, a IOM press release said.
High-level government officials, policy makers, representatives of the UN, NGOs and academics, are expected to attend the symposium, which will discuss the key findings of the study and formulate recommendations for national planning and policy action.

The project was directed by an inter-ministerial steering committee, chaired by the Secretary of Health, with participation from the Ministries of Health, Defence, Immigration, Labour, Social Services, National Planning, Foreign Employment, the Board of Investment, Finance, Economic Affairs and State Insurance.

IOM provided funding for through its 1035 Facility and formulated the research agenda, based on desk reviews and five commissioned research projects.

Closer cooperation between government departments to cope with health and social issues relating to migrants has already led to some improvements in border health management and better health service support for migrants, notably refugees returning to Sri Lanka from India.

Nearly 5,900 registered refugees have returned to Sri Lanka's Northern Province from camps in Tamil Nadu since the end of the conflict in 2009, but an estimated 73,210 remain.

"It is very important to register all the returning refugees and integrate them with the local health system to screen and to ensure continuity of healthcare for them," says Dr. P. G. Mahipala, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Health.

IOM has developed a booklet for returnees with the Ministry of Health that includes essential information on health and the health system. It covers topics ranging from the risks associated with landmines, emergency management of burns, and how to cope with blast injuries and snakebites, through mother and child health and breastfeeding.

The booklets have been distributed to returning refugees through local authorities in Northern districts and via the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Meanwhile, the first batch of Sri Lankan refugees returning from India by sea arrived in Colombo port yesterday after fleeing the country decades ago.

The group of 37 refugees from 15 families was received at a welcoming ceremony held at the port under the aegis of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Deputy Minister of Resettlement Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan was also at the port to greet the arrivals.

The returns are part of a voluntary, facilitated repatriation programme, supported by the governments of both India and Sri Lanka.

The UN agency says since the conflict ended in May 2009, Sri Lankan refugees have been steadily returning back to their home country, mainly from India with a few from other countries. Over 1,400 refugees have returned so far this year, compared to 2,054 refugees in 2010.

UNHCR's most recent statistics showed there were 141,063 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with the majority in India, followed by France, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Malaysia, the United States and Italy.