Page 158 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
P. 158
ana Medarić and Mateja Sedmak
among which the key issues are (1) language barriers, (2) lack of intercultural
competencies of health professionals and (3) discriminatory attitudes and
practices of health personnel towards migrants. These are also three of the
main topics we consider in this chapter. In addition, we focus on the follow-
ing two issues: (4) information and healthcare services access, and, finally,
(5) the social ties of migrants and their relevance for the reproductive health
of migrant women. Similarly, current research abroad focusing on the sex-
ual and reproductive care of migrant women highlights linguistic challenges
and the importance of providing relevant information (e.g. Zelalem, Janette,
Tinashe, & Ussher, 2018; Villadsen, Mortensen, & Nybo Andersen, 2017; Small
et al., 2014) and adequate access to healthcare services (Keygnaert et al., 2013).
Villadsen et al. (2017), who researched this issue in Denmark, suggest that
the key challenges in ensuring quality healthcare in the area of reproductive
health are the inadequate use of interpreters and difficulties in intercultural
communication. Small et al. (2014), who compared the experiences of mater-
nity care of migrant women and non-migrant women, found that migrant
women have less positive experiences, primarily due to problems related to
communication, their perception of discrimination as well as disrespectful,
unkind care, and lack of information about how the health system works. As
presented below, similar obstacles and challenges are observed in our re-
search.
Slovenian Constitution guarantees the right to healthcare for everyone
and the freedom of choice in childbearing. In Slovenian legislation, repro-
ductive health is regulated by the Health Measures in Exercising Freedom of
Choice in Childbearing Act¹ and the Rules on Carrying out Preventive Health
Care at the Primary Level.² The Act stipulates the conditions for exercising
the right to prevent conception, artificial interruption of pregnancy and the
diagnosis and treatment of reduced fertility, while the Rules specify the re-
productive health rights and the content of preventive programs. Despite
the fact that migrant women are recognized as one of the most vulnerable
social groups in the context of reproductive health, they are not explicitly
mentioned either in the law or in the regulations.
What follows is the presentation of the results of the qualitative research
carried out as a case study in the border region of the three coastal munici-
¹ Zakon o zdravstvenih ukrepih pri uresničevanju pravice do svobodnega odločanja o rojstvu
otrok, see http://pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO408.
² Pravilnik za izvajanje preventivnega zdravstvenega varstva na primarni ravni, see http://www
.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=NAVO59.
156
among which the key issues are (1) language barriers, (2) lack of intercultural
competencies of health professionals and (3) discriminatory attitudes and
practices of health personnel towards migrants. These are also three of the
main topics we consider in this chapter. In addition, we focus on the follow-
ing two issues: (4) information and healthcare services access, and, finally,
(5) the social ties of migrants and their relevance for the reproductive health
of migrant women. Similarly, current research abroad focusing on the sex-
ual and reproductive care of migrant women highlights linguistic challenges
and the importance of providing relevant information (e.g. Zelalem, Janette,
Tinashe, & Ussher, 2018; Villadsen, Mortensen, & Nybo Andersen, 2017; Small
et al., 2014) and adequate access to healthcare services (Keygnaert et al., 2013).
Villadsen et al. (2017), who researched this issue in Denmark, suggest that
the key challenges in ensuring quality healthcare in the area of reproductive
health are the inadequate use of interpreters and difficulties in intercultural
communication. Small et al. (2014), who compared the experiences of mater-
nity care of migrant women and non-migrant women, found that migrant
women have less positive experiences, primarily due to problems related to
communication, their perception of discrimination as well as disrespectful,
unkind care, and lack of information about how the health system works. As
presented below, similar obstacles and challenges are observed in our re-
search.
Slovenian Constitution guarantees the right to healthcare for everyone
and the freedom of choice in childbearing. In Slovenian legislation, repro-
ductive health is regulated by the Health Measures in Exercising Freedom of
Choice in Childbearing Act¹ and the Rules on Carrying out Preventive Health
Care at the Primary Level.² The Act stipulates the conditions for exercising
the right to prevent conception, artificial interruption of pregnancy and the
diagnosis and treatment of reduced fertility, while the Rules specify the re-
productive health rights and the content of preventive programs. Despite
the fact that migrant women are recognized as one of the most vulnerable
social groups in the context of reproductive health, they are not explicitly
mentioned either in the law or in the regulations.
What follows is the presentation of the results of the qualitative research
carried out as a case study in the border region of the three coastal munici-
¹ Zakon o zdravstvenih ukrepih pri uresničevanju pravice do svobodnega odločanja o rojstvu
otrok, see http://pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO408.
² Pravilnik za izvajanje preventivnega zdravstvenega varstva na primarni ravni, see http://www
.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=NAVO59.
156
