548 Coming home unprepared: health challenges of low-skilled returnee migrants in Bangladesh

Abstract OP 29: Health Status 4, B302 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 16:00 - 17:00 Return is often perceived as the end of the migration cycle, but for the low-skilled returnees, it signifies the challenges that will profoundly affect their health and wellbeing. Hence, return has become that pivotal stage where health disparities and abandonment are evident. This research aims to investigate post-return health disparities among involuntary returnees by comprehensive qualitative interviews performed in 2024 in rural areas of Bangladesh. This study explores how structural barriers such as lack of preparedness, restricted healthcare access, gendered social stigma can impede returnee’s health and overall wellbeing. Findings reveal significant health disparities rooted in the nature of return. The study reveals that a lack of preparedness in return due to abrupt deportation, lack of savings, fraudulent activities and global crisis like COVID-19 - intensifies mental and physical distress. Findings indicate that women from involuntary return face psychological distress, little awareness for healthcare services and institutional neglect. Many participants reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety, physical deterioration, and isolation without access to medical or emotional support. Despite growing migration from Bangladesh, reintegration policies remain fragmented, and healthcare systems lack the outreach and cultural sensitivity needed to support returnees in rural areas. The absence of a coordinated governmental framework leaves this population vulnerable to long-term health inequities. This research contributes to broader conversations on health equity by highlighting the lived realities of return migration in the Global South. It argues for inclusive, post-return support policies to ensure health equity, especially for those navigating forced or unplanned return.