Page 169 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
P. 169
Monoligual Health?
women (Ioannidi-Kapolou, 2007; Bofulin & Bešter, 2010), is sometimes lim-
ited in Slovenia due to long waiting lists, which were often mentioned by
the interviewees. The issue of access to health services in connection with
the socio-economic status of migrants is highlighted here: those with a bet-
ter economic status have access to private (and faster) health services.
I cannot have an ultrasound, 45 days is supposed to be fast – this is not
fast for me, I need it now. If I have a problem, I need to know now [. . .]
If I need anything, I go to the private doctor.
In the case of access to health services, it should be mentioned that in
Koper there exists a pro bono clinic that operates once a week. Among other
people, it is intended for migrants without regular status and therefore with-
out insurance. There are few similar clinics in Slovenia that provide access
for migrants without organized health insurance. In Koper there is no spe-
cialized gynaecological pro bono clinic, but there is one in Ljubljana and, ac-
cording to the social worker who works there, it also receives a considerable
number of visits. This suggests that such clinics are important for ensuring
adequate access to health services for migrants without insurance and rep-
resent a protective network for this particularly vulnerable group of migrant
women.
Social Network and Reproductive Health of Migrant Women
In ensuring their (reproductive) health, migrants’ social networks play an im-
portant role. These are people who are trusted by migrant women, and who
at the same time facilitate their integration into the new environment (Brovč,
Ahčin, Šlajpah, & Rotar-Pavlič, 2009); here both aspects are important – social
ties in the environment in which they currently live as well as those from the
country of origin. When migrating to a new environment, migrants are often
confronted with personal distress and social isolation. The migrant commu-
nity may play an important role in the process of adaptation as well as in
obtaining information, etc. in relation to healthcare and specifically repro-
ductive health. In this context, migrant women stressed the importance of
information to facilitate choosing a doctor, a gynaecologist, information on
health insurance and the organization of healthcare in general, as well as in-
formation on postnatal care.
I have friends here, from Indonesia, and what I can [I tell them, ZM] [. . .]
they ask, I tell them [. . .] I go here [to this doctor, ZM].
167
women (Ioannidi-Kapolou, 2007; Bofulin & Bešter, 2010), is sometimes lim-
ited in Slovenia due to long waiting lists, which were often mentioned by
the interviewees. The issue of access to health services in connection with
the socio-economic status of migrants is highlighted here: those with a bet-
ter economic status have access to private (and faster) health services.
I cannot have an ultrasound, 45 days is supposed to be fast – this is not
fast for me, I need it now. If I have a problem, I need to know now [. . .]
If I need anything, I go to the private doctor.
In the case of access to health services, it should be mentioned that in
Koper there exists a pro bono clinic that operates once a week. Among other
people, it is intended for migrants without regular status and therefore with-
out insurance. There are few similar clinics in Slovenia that provide access
for migrants without organized health insurance. In Koper there is no spe-
cialized gynaecological pro bono clinic, but there is one in Ljubljana and, ac-
cording to the social worker who works there, it also receives a considerable
number of visits. This suggests that such clinics are important for ensuring
adequate access to health services for migrants without insurance and rep-
resent a protective network for this particularly vulnerable group of migrant
women.
Social Network and Reproductive Health of Migrant Women
In ensuring their (reproductive) health, migrants’ social networks play an im-
portant role. These are people who are trusted by migrant women, and who
at the same time facilitate their integration into the new environment (Brovč,
Ahčin, Šlajpah, & Rotar-Pavlič, 2009); here both aspects are important – social
ties in the environment in which they currently live as well as those from the
country of origin. When migrating to a new environment, migrants are often
confronted with personal distress and social isolation. The migrant commu-
nity may play an important role in the process of adaptation as well as in
obtaining information, etc. in relation to healthcare and specifically repro-
ductive health. In this context, migrant women stressed the importance of
information to facilitate choosing a doctor, a gynaecologist, information on
health insurance and the organization of healthcare in general, as well as in-
formation on postnatal care.
I have friends here, from Indonesia, and what I can [I tell them, ZM] [. . .]
they ask, I tell them [. . .] I go here [to this doctor, ZM].
167
