Migrant Workers and Health in Qatar: Research Roundtable I

The Center for International and Regional Studies collaborated with Qatar-based partners to study the health of migrant workers in Qatar with a roundtable meeting on April 26, 2018. The project considers the state of healthcare provision to this segment of the population with a goal of contributing to the formulation of policy guidelines with suggestions for improvements to the state of migrants’ health. Currently, there is limited scholarship on health and temporary labor migration in the context of the Gulf region, most of which is anecdotal and journalistic. These accounts highlight the poor conditions of migrant workers’ health, particularly in relation to their vulnerable position in Gulf society.

The research roundtable served as a preliminary brainstorming session with discussants from a variety of academic, policy, legal, and healthcare backgrounds who addressed some of the broader issues on the overall state of migrants’ health in Qatar. The discussion was divided into broad themes regarding the social and political contexts of labor migrant conditions and healthcare in Qatar and the legal and regulatory framework. The participants highlighted areas in need of improvement and pointed out shortcomings that need to be addressed. The experts presented their research to provide a better understanding of migrant workers’ health conditions and healthcare delivery within Qatar. The primary research questions that emerged from this session will inform the agenda of a second research meeting, to be hosted by in the near future.