Who we are

Background

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and Global Compact for Migration. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. 

The IOM Migration Health Division (MHD), as one of its key activities, conducts pre-migration health activities (PMHA) for migrants, operating approximately 70 IOM Migration Health Assessment Centers (MHACs) across about 50 countries worldwide. PMHA are an array of procedures that are undertaken in the context of regular migration at the request of receiving country governments, and aim to achieve at least one of the following: 

• Identification of health conditions of public health importance (communicable and non-communicable conditions) in relation to specific country legislation and International Health Regulations (IHR)
• Provision of continuity of care, linking pre-departure, travel, transit, and post-arrival phases
• Establishment of fitness to travel to another country
• Improvement of the health of migrants before departure to another country through the provision of preventative or curative care
• Minimization or mitigation of public health risks related to mobility.

Among other elements, PMHA include tuberculosis (TB) screening and treatment of migrants before they travel to receiving countries. This is critical for promoting both individual and public health.  

Chest X-ray (CXR) examination is the mainstay of imaging used for screening for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and monitoring patient responses to TB treatment as part of PMHA and is one of the main criteria for referral for laboratory investigations. It is required by all major receiving countries for individuals of a specified age or with indication. However, maintaining the quality of the radiology service, innovation, and standardization across all implementing operations represents a major challenge. Digital radiography producing DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) images and high-resolution diagnostic monitors for CXR reading have become requirements for most receiving country partners, which enable digital archiving, transfer of DICOM images between locations and the use of teleradiology.

IOM’s teleradiology programme was established in 2012 with the creation of the IOM Global Teleradiology Centre, located in Manila, Philippines, which leads the design, system development, implementation and expansion of the technologies and services to different locations worldwide; and a second regional teleradiology center was established in 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya to cover the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The Centers provide a quality real-time teleradiology programme that includes primary reading, second consultation and as well as radiology support to both IOM and non-IOM locations across the globe. 

The development of the teleradiology programme aimed to put the necessary systems, infrastructure and procedures in place, through the implementation of activities such as quality control, global radiology support, training and research. The objective is to innovate, standardize and optimize the quality of radiology services in IOM Migration Health Assessment Centers worldwide, contribute to strategic policy in the field of radiology and enhance the position of IOM in the field of migration health. 

This innovative and specialized Centers plays a significant role in providing access to high-quality teleradiology services and standardizing the practices of radiology units across IOM operations worldwide and many non-IOM panel clinics. 

Below details the specific descriptions for both the global and the regional teleradiology Centers. 

IOM Global Teleradiology and Quality Control (QC) Center

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Global Teleradiology and Quality Control (QC) Center, established in 2012 in the Migration Health Division of the IOM Manila Administrative Center, designs, develops, and expands innovative teleradiology programmes and global radiology technical support and guidance to different Migrants’ health assessment clinics worldwide. The Center provides innovative teleradiology programmes, including real time teleradiology primary reading and second opinion consultations, and teleradiology quality control readings and analysis. The Center also provides global radiology support activities and expansion of radiology technologies. These include conducting radiology training, developing guidelines and strategic priorities, providing oversight, guiding technological advances and expansion, conducting audit visits and providing feedback, providing direct radiology technical support and guidance, conducting operational research and making policy recommendations, as well as undertaking external collaboration with migrant-receiving countries and global partners, and representing IOM in relation to the sector.  

Geared toward the needs of all teleradiology users - both small and large, with basic or advanced infrastructure - the Center provides affordable, customized solutions, ensuring smooth workflow and coordination among team members and users worldwide. The Center provides technologically advanced real time teleradiology services, with around-the-clock technical support and integrated data security protection. IOM’s teleradiology programmes are completely web-based and available anytime, anywhere, to those with authorized access to the system.

The Center uses innovative and affordable teleradiology systems designed by the global Teleradiology technical team, IOM-developed web-based software applications, Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS) networking and other information technology infrastructure, as well as standard operating procedures, and is staffed by experienced radiologists and Teleradiology system technical experts. 

The successful establishment of the IOM Global Teleradiology Programme, as well as  the global radiology support and system expansion, has been recognized by key government partners, creating greater opportunities and demand, which has led to further expansion of the teleradiology programmes and implementation of innovative initiatives including the establishment of the regional Teleradiology Center. 

In accordance with an increase in demand and requests from receiving country governments and global partners, the Global Center has expanded its teleradiology programme to non-IOM panel clinics providing PMHA and other global partners around the world since 2015, achieving substantial growth in a short span of time. 

As of November 2022, the global Center comprised a team of 55 staff, including radiologists, support staff, and a technical team comprised of Teleradiology system specialists, and is networked to 95 field locations worldwide, providing real-time global teleradiology primary reading and quality control, in addition to managing global radiology support and external collaborations with receiving country governments and other global partners.  

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, some services were interrupted, but the Center has since rebounded and resumed its pre-pandemic growth trajectory.
 

Mission

Our mission is to provide a globally accessible, high-quality, affordable and efficient teleradiology programme, including global radiology support, to both IOM and non-IOM panel clinics worldwide. The Center is committed to providing a broad range of teleradiology programming using innovative technologies and providing easily accessible global radiology support, as well as conducting radiology-related research and providing policy recommendations in the rapidly changing field of radiology. In this way, the IOM teleradiology programme plays an important role in driving the global migration health agenda. 

Vision

The Center seeks innovative, standardized and quality-assured radiology services in the field of migration health across IOM implementing locations worldwide, which is fundamental to the public health security of migrants and hosting and receiving communities. It also reflects IOM’s contribution to the global migration health agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations in the sector.