Medical Travels of Polish Female Migrants in Europe

Abstract

Abstract:The article discusses the medical travel (medical tourism) of Polish women migrants based on a study conducted between 2008 and 2011 on Polish women who migrated to London, Barcelona, and Berlin. The author argues that the principal reasons for medical travel to Poland are the lower costs of private treatment, the relatively easy access to specialised health care, and personal comfort derived from linguistic and cultural competency. The women in the study who travelled to Poland for medical treatment combined the economic resources acquired while living abroad with their knowledge of the cultural and medical system in Poland to choose the best options for them. The treatments they sought included gynaecological, dental, and other specialised treatments, for which they turned to the private health sector in Poland. Some of the women also sought treatment in other countries. The women in the study highlighted the advantages of medical travel and mobility while also refl ected on the dilemmas they faced in choosing the best care. The author argues that medical travel poses a challenge to the national borders of health-care systems and the national availability of medical procedures, and found that while such mobility generates inequalities it also leads to greater agency and creativeness on the part of patients when they challenge the given regulations, authority, and expert knowledge in one country.

“Where to find those doctors?” A qualitative study on barriers and facilitators in access to and utilization of health care services by Polish migrants in Norway

“…Both our study and previous studies in Norway, Great Britain, Germany, and Spain [14, 18, 20, 49] indicate a common transnational use of health services by post-accession Polish migrants. When using the transnational lens to analyze migrants’ activities, one needs to let go of the conviction that social life takes place naturally within the nation-state.…”

Immigrants‘ use of health care in their country of origin: the role of social integration, discrimination and the parallel use of health care systems

“…Also, immigrants' health status, such as a pre‐existing chronic condition or a new illness or accident occurring during the stay abroad, is associated with CBHC utilisation . Alongside socio‐demographic and health issues, social and cultural factors are seen as important in the patients' choice of CBHC . Şekercan et al.…”

“… found in their study of Korean immigrants in New Zealand that immigrants do not travel for medical care only to look for effective, but also affective, care in an emotionally comfortable and familiar place. Also, Main notes the cultural competence of the doctors and the patients' personal comfort as important reasons for Polish immigrants in London and Barcelona to travel to Poland for care.…”

Patient’s Cross-border Mobility Directive: Application, Performance and Perceptions Two Years after Transposition

“…Part of the cross-border mobility is also filled with migrants traveling to their former country of origin to receive medical treatments. An exemplification of this phenomenon is provided in a study conducted between 2008 and 2011 on Polish women who migrated to London, Barcelona, and Berlin (Main, 2014). It concludes that the principal reasons for medical travel to Poland are the lower cost of private medical treatment, relatively easy access to specialised health care, and personal comfort derived from linguistic and cultural competency (Main, 2014).…”

“…An exemplification of this phenomenon is provided in a study conducted between 2008 and 2011 on Polish women who migrated to London, Barcelona, and Berlin (Main, 2014). It concludes that the principal reasons for medical travel to Poland are the lower cost of private medical treatment, relatively easy access to specialised health care, and personal comfort derived from linguistic and cultural competency (Main, 2014). However, there is some modest willingness to get medical treatment abroad-and it is important to note that it is lower than before the Directive was legislated and implemented.…”