Barriers to healthcare for Venezuelan migrants: physicians' perspective

Abstract

PurposeIncreased migration to small island developing states poses major challenges on receiving countries' healthcare systems. Due to public health policy on treating migrants in Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuelan migrants are experiencing less than optimal care. This paper examines the retrospective accounts of physicians treating Venezuelan migrants with limited access to healthcare.Design/methodology/approachTen in depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with physicians working in primary healthcare and emergency departments about their clinical decision-making process in providing care for Venezuelan migrants. A narrative approach was used to highlight the personal experiences of participants. Participants were recruited by their response to an online advertisement on social media (i.e. Facebook and Instagram) and via email invitations. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using NVIVO-12 software.FindingsFindings revealed language barriers between Venezuelan migrants and Trinidad and Tobago-based physicians hindered providing optimal care coordination. Physicians indicated the use of a translator app to bridge the service gap but questioned their ethics. Participants noted tensions between junior and senior physicians regarding referrals of Venezuelan migrants to outpatient care. The data suggests physicians' felt constrained providing additional services such as primary care due to the Provision of Public Healthcare Services Policy which forbids primary care services to migrants.Originality/valueSparse research on the barriers to accessing healthcare for Venezuelan migrants residing in the small island states.

IJHG 27.3 Review

“…Modeste-James and Huggins (2022) also focus on a South American issue and on finance in their study about doctors' perceptions of the barriers affecting the provision of healthcare to Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago.…”

“…Modeste-James and Huggins (2022) conducted semi-structured narrative interviews with doctors working in Trinidad and Tobago to explore their perception of barriers to accessing healthcare faced by recent migrants. Inclusion criteria included doctors with a graduate qualification in emergency or family medicine and working for two years in a primary care clinic or a hospital emergency department.…”

“…Despite this, the public health sector is beset by problems relating to poor governance and inadequate financing, resulting in poor throughput (Bahall, 2018). These existing problems make caring for the recent migrant population more difficult, and some doctors expressed frustration at the additional burdens being placed on an already over-stretched public health sector (Modeste-James and Huggins, 2022).…”