Access to prevention, care, and support remains difficult for foreign nationals in vulnerable situations. To mark World Refugee Day on June 20, 2025, Santé publique France is promoting the tools available to professionals as well as multilingual informational materials designed for migrants.

The physical and mental health needs of refugees and migrants can vary greatly, depending on their experiences in their country of origin, their migration journey, entry and integration policies, and the living and working conditions in their host countries. These experiences can make refugees and migrants more vulnerable in terms of health and access to prevention and care. Numerous partnerships with organizations, particularly with Comede (Committee for the Health of Exiles), enable us to better understand the needs of those affected and of healthcare professionals, and to collaboratively develop tools to facilitate access to information and support professionals involved in prevention, care, and support for vulnerable foreign nationals.

World Refugee Day is an annual opportunity for Santé publique France to promote the tools and informational materials made available to organizations and professionals to improve the care and health of refugees and migrants living in France.

Tools in 16 languages to support the rollout of the new “Mon bilan prévention” initiative

Launched in 2024, “Mon bilan prévention” allows anyone to schedule a free appointment with a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or midwife to discuss their health and receive personalized preventive care advice. It is offered at several key ages: 18–25, 45–50, 60–65, and 70–75. Fully covered by the French Health Insurance system, it is accessible to individuals covered by the AME.

To make preventive health screenings more accessible to vulnerable populations, Santé publique France has collaborated with professionals and organizations to develop a series of resources:

• An educational brochure for outreach professionals with ready-to-use guidelines for discussing the program.

• A poster for reception centers, shelters, and waiting rooms.

• An informational flyer and video for people in vulnerable situations, designed with health literacy in mind and available in multiple languages.

• 5 educational videos, in partnership with Africa Radio and comedian Sélavie, covering various prevention topics for people from sub-Saharan Africa:

  • My Prevention Checkup: a personalized tool to assess your contraception

  • My Prevention Checkup with the Sélavie family - Contraception

  • My Prevention Checkup with the Sélavie Family - Diabetes

  • My Prevention Checkup with the Sélavie Family - Overweight

  • My Prevention Checkup with the Sélavie Family - Kind Grandma

  • My Prevention Checkup with the Sélavie Family - Smoking

New thematic fact sheets to enhance the Comede guide

Designed by the Comede team and produced in partnership with Santé publique France, this guide aims to provide solutions to the most common health issues faced by refugees. First published in 1997, the Comede Guide is now in its 5th edition, with a completely redesigned version set for release in 2023.

Thanks to its hybrid format, the Comede Guide aims to better meet the needs of professionals with two complementary resources:

• a reference book, available for order and download,

• a website, guide.comede.org, useful for fieldwork and regularly updated with new thematic fact sheets and resources.

Accessible tools to facilitate dialogue between migrants and health and social services professionals

Communication is an essential element in patient care, and linguistic diversity creates certain barriers that can lead to difficulties in accessing care and prevention services. This is why Santé publique France provides information materials accessible to all that take health literacy into account, as well as materials translated into various languages.

Spotlight on – The Production of Social Inequalities in Health by Nathalie Bajos, Annual Chairholder at the Collège de France

Created in partnership with Santé publique France, the annual Public Health Chair is designed to promote excellence in research and intellectual debate at the highest level on public health issues. In 2025, the seminars and courses are led by Nathalie Bajos and focus on the production of social inequalities in health. The quantitative and qualitative research presented focuses on the general population and various social groups (sexual and gender minorities, migrants, and people deprived of their liberty).