Human migration has contributed to the redistribution of diseases from regions where they were endemic, thereby creating new areas where the task of control and management has become necessary. This is the case with respect to the major haemoglobinopathies -sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia -in the United Kingdom since World War II. On the one hand, the great cultural diversity of the immigrant population presents an important challenge in delivering health care to the populations at risk of the diseases. On the other hand, the spatial concentration of these populations is one of the greatest advantages in the management of the disorders, since access to centrally located services can be optimized.
The case of health care relating to the major haemoglobinopathies in the United Kingdom raises practical and theoretical questions about the most effective health care delivery models for ethnic minority needs. In turn, this issue has important implications for decisions concerning national and regional budgetary priorities in the health service and the position of minority medicine in the allocation of resources.