WHO ethics guidance on TB care and migration: challenges to the implementation process

We summarise the current ethical guidance on tuberculosis (TB) care and migration, as set out in the WHO “Ethics Guidance for the Implementation of the End TB Strategy.” Among other aspects, the Ethics Guidance states that there should be firm legal principles in place that ensure the enforcement of migration law on the one hand and the protection of human rights, including the right to health, on the other are separated from one another. As a challenge to the Ethics Guidance and its implementation, we describe two cases, each of which typifies particular problems. Case one describes the experience of a migrant worker in the United Arab Emirates who is deported when mandatory medical exams show evidence of current or prior TB. Case two raises the issue of providing more than TB care, which may also be needed for holistic care. The paper concludes with our suggestions for ways in which we could make progress towards ethically optimal TB care for migrants.