Talent across borders: opening doors for refugee pharmacists in the UK

The idea of rebuilding your life from scratch, far away from the people, culture, and places you know and love, would be challenging for many people. Yet, for the growing number of individuals forced to flee conflict, natural disasters, and persecution, this is the reality of life as a refugee.

According to data from the United Nations Refugee Agency, the number of displaced people crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million in 2022. Among them are trained medical professionals who have much to offer healthcare services, if given the opportunity.

However, returning to practice can be a long and complicated process for refugee health professionals. Each health service has a specific way of working, and without education, employment opportunities, and support, even highly skilled individuals can struggle to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare landscape.

As part of efforts to help support displaced people on their journey to employment in the UK, on 11th August, IQVIA, in collaboration with RefuAid – a non-profit organisation that supports refugees and asylum seekers across the UK to access higher education and employment – invited 12 refugee pharmacists from across the country to attend the company’s first employability event.

“We’ve always worked with organisations to support both healthcare opportunities and to really look at what we can do to aid, for example, people who may be working within the UK healthcare environment,” says Melinda Morgan, associate HR director for IQVIA.

• Read the full article in pharmaphorum's Deep Dive digital magazine