Page 168 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
P. 168
ana Medarić and Mateja Sedmak
riving from it. In this context, Ioannidi-Kapolou (2007) also highlights, among
other things, health risks arising from lack of information. This was confirmed
also by informants in our study:
I think migrant women do not care enough about their health because
they are not well informed about the rights and opportunities they
have. What often gets complicated is when they need to have medi-
cal checks, but they don’t have a chosen general physician or a chosen
gynaecologist, so that before discharge from hospital we talk about it
and provide appropriate instructions for checking. Because a certain
part of the treatment is carried out at home, it must be under control,
under the supervision of either a general practitioner or gynaecologist.
Migrant women highlighted also the lack of information and, consequently,
difficult access to (quality) health services. They do not have comprehensive
and accessible information on the health system and other aspects of life in
Slovenia in their own language or in a language they can understand.
As a foreigner, you do not have information [for example, who is a good
doctor/gynaecologist, ZM], you start from scratch in Slovenia. You do
not know anything, you do not have information in another language
or a website that you can understand. [. . .] We need information for the
school, for a health centre.
The statement of the informant, who informally translates from Russian,
points to the importance of being informed about adequate access to health
services, highlights that migrant women’s access to health services is closely
connected to their legal status, employment or a proper form of insurance,
and, last but not least, emphasizes the importance of (informal) social ties in
ensuring the (reproductive) health of migrants.
I translate for the Russians in Izola [Hospital, MS]. They call me. [. . .] One
lady called me, how much would it cost to pay for the birth, if she would
be self-paying – she was not insured, she was a foreigner. Is it better
to become an independent entrepreneur and be insured through it or
just pay for it? At that time, I found out all the information for her, they
told me everything, they were very friendly. It is better for her to have
insurance, they told me, and so she did.
Access to a health system, which is particularly important for migrant
166
riving from it. In this context, Ioannidi-Kapolou (2007) also highlights, among
other things, health risks arising from lack of information. This was confirmed
also by informants in our study:
I think migrant women do not care enough about their health because
they are not well informed about the rights and opportunities they
have. What often gets complicated is when they need to have medi-
cal checks, but they don’t have a chosen general physician or a chosen
gynaecologist, so that before discharge from hospital we talk about it
and provide appropriate instructions for checking. Because a certain
part of the treatment is carried out at home, it must be under control,
under the supervision of either a general practitioner or gynaecologist.
Migrant women highlighted also the lack of information and, consequently,
difficult access to (quality) health services. They do not have comprehensive
and accessible information on the health system and other aspects of life in
Slovenia in their own language or in a language they can understand.
As a foreigner, you do not have information [for example, who is a good
doctor/gynaecologist, ZM], you start from scratch in Slovenia. You do
not know anything, you do not have information in another language
or a website that you can understand. [. . .] We need information for the
school, for a health centre.
The statement of the informant, who informally translates from Russian,
points to the importance of being informed about adequate access to health
services, highlights that migrant women’s access to health services is closely
connected to their legal status, employment or a proper form of insurance,
and, last but not least, emphasizes the importance of (informal) social ties in
ensuring the (reproductive) health of migrants.
I translate for the Russians in Izola [Hospital, MS]. They call me. [. . .] One
lady called me, how much would it cost to pay for the birth, if she would
be self-paying – she was not insured, she was a foreigner. Is it better
to become an independent entrepreneur and be insured through it or
just pay for it? At that time, I found out all the information for her, they
told me everything, they were very friendly. It is better for her to have
insurance, they told me, and so she did.
Access to a health system, which is particularly important for migrant
166
