A new report entitled "Refugees and Reproductive Health Care: The Next Step" draws attention to the fact that the millions of women refugees in the world risk unplanned pregnancies and acquiring sexually transmitted diseases yet have very limited access to reproductive health care in refugee camps. The magnitude of the health challenge is illustrated by the fact that since 1984 women have spent an estimated 101 million reproductive health years as refugees, but the relief community has failed to consider delivering reproductive health services essential. In response to this situation, the Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium (founded in 1995) is calling for funding earmarked to the provision of reproductive health services for refugees and recommends that 1) refugee reproductive health programs be assigned dedicated staff members; 2) referral systems be improved, especially for emergencies; 3) programs be culturally sensitive and involve the targeted community; 4) the experience of the wider reproductive health community be tapped for delivery of quality health care; 5) senior policymakers become strong advocates for these services; 6) mechanisms for procurement and resupply of equipment, contraceptives, and supplied be improved; 7) multiple models for delivering reproductive health care to refugees be developed; and 8) refugee reproductive health programs evolve to encompass broader refugee needs.

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evaluation Reproduction Reproductive Medicine refugee health care planning economics population Migrants demography Population Dynamics Recommendations Refugees Health Planning Guidelines health service Health Services Needs and Demand Residence Characteristics health spatial distribution geography Reproductive Health--women Needs--women Refugee Camps health services Article migration Geographic Factors Demographic Factors World Refugees--women Critique Emigration and Immigration Evaluation Studies Economic Factors Transients and Migrants Delivery of Health Care health care delivery