+44(0)203 312 6666 Word count: 3512 Highlights: Influx of refugees into Europe highlights the need for health system preparedness Greece's economic crisis impacts its ability to respond to the health needs Predominantly Syrian, Iraqi and Afghani refugees in Greece present particular challenges Responding to refugee health needs encourages governments to consider universal healthcare access The Global Compact on Migration (2018) should benefit refugees and host communities Key Messages The refugee and migrant health response in Greece has been impacted by Greece's economic crisis and pre-existing strains on its health system. The influx of predominantly Syrian, Iraqi and Afghani refugees led to challenges to providing socially and culturally appropriate healthcare. There are valuable lessons to learn from health system preparedness, responsiveness and capacity to manage the protracted phase of large influxes of refugees and migrants in the European context.
Introduction: As of January 2020, 115,600 refugees remain in Greece; most are Afghani, Iraqi or Syrian nationals. This qualitative research study explores the views of key stakeholders providing healthcare for refugees in Greece between 2015 and 2018. The focus was on identifying key barriers and facilitators to healthcare access for refugees in Greece. Methods: 16 interviewees from humanitarian and international organisations operating in Greece were identified through purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between March and April 2018. Data were analysed using the Framework Method. Results: Key themes affecting healthcare access included the influence of socio-cultural factors (healthcare expectations, language, gender) and the ability of the Greek health system to respond to existing and evolving demands; these included Greece’s ongoing economic crisis, human resource shortages, weak primary healthcare system, legal barriers and logistics. The evolution of the humanitarian response from emergency to sustained changes to EU funding, coordination and comprehensiveness of services affected healthcare access for refugees. Conclusion: The most noted barriers cited by humanitarian stakeholders to healthcare access for refugees in Greece were socio-cultural and language differences between refugees and healthcare providers and poor coordination among stakeholders. Policies and interventions which address these could improve healthcare access for refugees in Greece with coordination led by the EU.
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