Page 129 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
P. 129
Migrant Women’s Perspectives on Reproductive Health Issues and Their Healthcare Encounters
The quality of the healthcare services in Slovenia and the existence of
health disparities in the home country’s healthcare system were reported
by some interviewees as reasons that women from South-east Europe mi-
grate to Slovenia. This issue was further elaborated by the interviewees from
the perspective of the health disparities they had encountered while (they
or their family members were) accessing healthcare services in their home
country.
Health Disparities Continue in the Home Country
The majority of interviewees perceived the public healthcare system in their
home country as unjust since high-quality care depended on the economic
standard of the individual. This was noted by women from Ukraine, Serbia,
Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Public healthcare services were expe-
rienced as services low in quality, as services lacking appropriate staff, stan-
dards and resources, while the private sector was described as the opposite.
We pay for healthcare services. We have health insurance. It’s about
EUR 10 per year, but they treat you as if you do not have any insurance
at all. You are always first and if you do not pay you are always last.
[INTE_35_3_BIH]
The women had greater trust in the private sector:
We have state health insurance. If possible, I preferred to use the ser-
vices offered by the private sector. The state health institutions are
crowded, without friendly staff. Communication is important. The truth
is that I do not trust state health institutions so much. [INTE_36_1_RU]
The difference between private and public health services? In the pri-
vate sector, you have to pay, but the services provided are higher in
quality than in the public sector. [INTE_32_1_BIH]
Health disparities arose from the financial constraints of individuals, yet
even with a lack of financial resources women and their families tried to find
a way to better health. As seen, the situation in the described healthcare sys-
tem was worsened by the fact that medications also had to be paid for. Even
medications whose application and use are (and should be) limited to health-
care institutions are only available in pharmacies and must be purchased.
In Slovenia, you cannot get medication without a prescription. In Koso-
vo, we can have any medication without a prescription. You can take
127
The quality of the healthcare services in Slovenia and the existence of
health disparities in the home country’s healthcare system were reported
by some interviewees as reasons that women from South-east Europe mi-
grate to Slovenia. This issue was further elaborated by the interviewees from
the perspective of the health disparities they had encountered while (they
or their family members were) accessing healthcare services in their home
country.
Health Disparities Continue in the Home Country
The majority of interviewees perceived the public healthcare system in their
home country as unjust since high-quality care depended on the economic
standard of the individual. This was noted by women from Ukraine, Serbia,
Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Public healthcare services were expe-
rienced as services low in quality, as services lacking appropriate staff, stan-
dards and resources, while the private sector was described as the opposite.
We pay for healthcare services. We have health insurance. It’s about
EUR 10 per year, but they treat you as if you do not have any insurance
at all. You are always first and if you do not pay you are always last.
[INTE_35_3_BIH]
The women had greater trust in the private sector:
We have state health insurance. If possible, I preferred to use the ser-
vices offered by the private sector. The state health institutions are
crowded, without friendly staff. Communication is important. The truth
is that I do not trust state health institutions so much. [INTE_36_1_RU]
The difference between private and public health services? In the pri-
vate sector, you have to pay, but the services provided are higher in
quality than in the public sector. [INTE_32_1_BIH]
Health disparities arose from the financial constraints of individuals, yet
even with a lack of financial resources women and their families tried to find
a way to better health. As seen, the situation in the described healthcare sys-
tem was worsened by the fact that medications also had to be paid for. Even
medications whose application and use are (and should be) limited to health-
care institutions are only available in pharmacies and must be purchased.
In Slovenia, you cannot get medication without a prescription. In Koso-
vo, we can have any medication without a prescription. You can take
127
