Undocumented Migrants during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Socio-Economic Determinants, Clinical Features and Pharmacological Treatment

Fiorini, Gianfrancesco; Rigamonti, Antonello E.; Galanopoulos, Charilaos; Adamoli, Martina; Ciriaco, Emanuela; Franchi, Matteo; Genovese, Eleonora; Corrao, Giovanni; Cella, Silvano G.

doi:10.4081/jphr.2020.1852

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Reported difficulties in accessing information and complying with measures are colored by the challenging living and working conditions of UDMs. The UDMs' precarious circumstances are well-known from previous studies in the Netherlands and elsewhere (Schoevers et al, 2009(Schoevers et al, , 2010Woodward et al, 2014) and have been observed in the few other studies on the impact of COVID-19 on UDMs elsewhere (Schoevers et al, 2009;Burton-Jeangros et al, 2020;Devillanova et al, 2020;Fiorini et al, 2020;Mia and Griffiths, 2020;Varga, 2020). In turn, non-compliance poses a health risk as access to healthcare is hampered for UDMs, especially for those who are not aligned with NGO or migrant organizations (Schoevers et al, 2010).…”

Section: Comparison With Literaturementioning

confidence: 80%

“…Having to rely on the informal market makes the UDMs subject to low wages, crowded housing, and general exploitation (Parrennas et al, 2018;Varga, 2020), as well as elevated physical and psychological stress (Schoevers et al, 2009;Teunissen et al, 2014a,b;Andersson et al, 2018). This increases their risk for COVID-19 exposure (Burton-Jeangros et al, 2020;Devillanova et al, 2020;Mia and Griffiths, 2020) and severe disease (Fiorini et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, preventive communication on protective measures is mostly in national languages and often designed according to social and cultural norms that migrants may not relate to (Fiorini et al, 2020) (see Box 2 for the protective measures in the Netherlands).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, access to care for UDMs is limited. The UDMs are not eligible for healthcare insurance, and, although in the Netherlands, UDMs have a right to access all the medically necessary care (Smith and LeVoy, 2017), this access is limited due to legal, administrative, linguistic, social, and cultural barriers, a lack of trust in the (healthcare) system, fear of losing work or, ultimately, deportation (Schoevers et al, 2010;Terminski, 2013;Woodward et al, 2014;Fiorini et al, 2020;Varga, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Undocumented Domestic Workers and Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Preventive Measures

et al. 2022

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This article describes the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preventive measures on the undocumented migrant domestic workers in the Netherlands. Undocumented migrants (UDMs) are likely to experience inequalities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They rely on the informal market for work and housing and are usually not entitled to a healthcare insurance. However, they are not represented in the COVID-19 registrations or surveys. In order to advise the policymakers and healthcare professionals on how to tailor the preventive activities in handling a pandemic, including vaccination strategy, to the needs of this group, an insight into their experiences is needed. In our qualitative study, two focus group discussions were held with 14 UDMs, recruited through a snowball technique. The UDMs perceived the COVID-19 as a threat. Their precarious position affected their perceived vulnerability, which motivated them to seek information on and comply with preventive measures and testing. However, structural barriers decreased their self-efficacy and opportunity to comply. The COVID-19 measures impacted the lives of UDMs on essential domains, resulting in job, food, and housing insecurity, and increased barriers in access to healthcare. An intersectoral approach addressing health communication, access to healthcare, and social support, as well as legal rights for safe employment, is needed to alleviate the impact of the measures on UDMs.

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Section: Comparison With Literaturementioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Undocumented Domestic Workers and Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Preventive Measures

et al. 2022

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“…The inequalities and vulnerabilities shown in this study may have been further amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was not captured in our study but should be briefly discussed. Even though healthcare services face an unprecedented demand, groups such as undocumented migrants and migrant women are still facing barriers to access appropriate quality care that contributes to poorer health outcomes [41,42]. Moreover, epidemiological data shows that COVID-19 disproportionately affects patients who have chronic conditions and underlying comorbidities [43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Access to Healthcare for Migrant Patients in Europe: Healthcare Discrimination and Translation Services

Gil-Salmerón

Katsas

Riza

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Background: Discrimination based on ethnicity and the lack of translation services in healthcare have been identified as main barriers to healthcare access. However, the actual experiences of migrant patients in Europe are rarely present in the literature. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess healthcare discrimination as perceived by migrants themselves and the availability of translation services in the healthcare systems of Europe. Methods: A total of 1407 migrants in 10 European Union countries (consortium members of the Mig-HealthCare project) were surveyed concerning healthcare discrimination, access to healthcare services, and need of translation services using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Migrants in three countries were excluded from the analysis, due to small sample size, and the new sample consisted of N = 1294 migrants. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analyses were conducted to investigate the risk factors on perceived healthcare discrimination for migrants and refugees in the EU. Results: Mean age was 32 (±11) years and 816 (63.26%) participants were males. The majority came from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, and Iran. Older migrants reported better treatment experience. Migrants in Italy (0.191; 95% CI [0.029, 0.352]) and Austria (0.167; 95% CI [0.012, 0.323]) scored higher in the Discrimination Scale to Medical Settings (DMS) compared with Spain. Additionally, migrants with better mental health scored lower in the DMS scale (0.994; 95% CI [0.993, 0.996]), while those with no legal permission in Greece tended to perceive more healthcare discrimination compared with migrants with some kind of permission (1.384; 95% CI [1.189, 1.611]), as opposed to Austria (0.763; 95% CI [0.632, 0.922]). Female migrants had higher odds of needing healthcare assistance but not being able to access them compared with males (1.613; 95% CI [1.183, 2.199]). Finally, migrants with chronic problems had the highest odds of needing and not having access to healthcare services compared with migrants who had other health problems (3.292; 95% CI [1.585, 6.837]). Conclusions: Development of culturally sensitive and linguistically diverse healthcare services should be one of the main aims of relevant health policies and strategies at the European level in order to respond to the unmet needs of the migrant population.

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Risk of Covid-19 Severe Outcomes and Mortality in Migrants and Ethnic Minorities Compared to the General Population in the European WHO Region: a Systematic Review

Mazzalai

Giannini

Tosti

et al. 2023

Int. Migration & Integration

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The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on migrants and ethnic minorities (MEMs). Socio-economic factors and legal, administrative and language barriers are among the reasons for this increased susceptibility. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on MEMs compared to the general population in terms of serious outcomes. We conducted a systematic review collecting studies on the impact of Covid-19 on MEMs compared to the general population in the WHO European Region regarding hospitalisation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality, published between 01/01/2020 and 19/03/2021. Nine researchers were involved in selection, study quality assessment and data extraction. Of the 82 studies included, 15 of the 16 regarding hospitalisation for Covid-19 reported an increased risk for MEMs compared to the white and/or native population and 22 out of the 28 studies focusing on the ICU admission rates found an increased risk for MEMs. Among the 65 studies on mortality, 43 report a higher risk for MEMs. An increased risk of adverse outcomes was reported for MEMs. Social determinants of health are among the main factors involved in the genesis of health inequalities: a disadvantaged socio-economic status, a framework of structural racism and asymmetric access to healthcare are linked to increased susceptibility to the consequences of Covid-19. These findings underline the need for policymakers to consider the socio-economic barriers when designing prevention plans.

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Undocumented Migrants during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Socio-Economic Determinants, Clinical Features and Pharmacological Treatment

Cited by 12 publications

References 23 publications

Undocumented Domestic Workers and Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Preventive Measures

Undocumented Domestic Workers and Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Preventive Measures

Access to Healthcare for Migrant Patients in Europe: Healthcare Discrimination and Translation Services

Risk of Covid-19 Severe Outcomes and Mortality in Migrants and Ethnic Minorities Compared to the General Population in the European WHO Region: a Systematic Review

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