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Emory University

Publication Date

Fall 2023

Program Name

Switzerland: Global Health and Development Policy

Abstract

Undocumented migrants face heightened difficulties in accessing healthcare due to a combination of legal, financial, and social challenges. Informal barriers to accessing healthcare further exacerbate poor health outcomes among undocumented migrants. In Switzerland, where undocumented migrants have the right to health insurance, barriers to receiving healthcare continue to restrict their access to essential services, such as primary healthcare (PHC). Employing a meta-analysis approach, this qualitative study aimed to broaden existing research on informal barriers hindering access to PHC for undocumented migrants, with a particular focus on the Swiss context. The identified informal barriers centered around health insurance, fear of deportation, and sociocultural factors. Accessibility of health insurance was challenged by financial and administrative barriers. Fear of deportation precluded undocumented migrants from taking out health insurance or seeking healthcare services. Lastly, sociocultural factors, such as limited health literacy and intercultural and linguistic differences, hindered mutual understanding between patients and providers, challenging the effective provision of PHC for this population. Public hospitals, migrants NGOs, and interpreting services play a vital role in mitigating informal barriers to PHC. Nevertheless, gaps in PHC accessibility and ongoing efforts to mitigate informal barriers remain. Thus, there is a need for policies addressing the multi- dimensional challenges and systemic barriers that restrict access to PHC services among undocumented migrants in Switzerland.

Disciplines

Health Policy | Inequality and Stratification | Medicine and Health | Migration Studies | Primary Care | Public Health Education and Promotion

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