The Impact of Access or Lack of Access to Services on the Health Outcomes of Migrants in Australia - Literature review Example

The Impact of Access or Lack of Access to Services on the Health Outcomes of Migrants and/or Refugees in Australia Name Course Lecturer Date Contents 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Insurance Services 4 3.0 Communication and Language Barrier 4 4.0 Legal Services 6 5.0 Occupation and Education Level 6 6.0 Transport Services 7 7.0 Housing and Sanitation Services 7 8.0 Conclusion 8 9.0 References 9 The Impact of Access or Lack of Access to Services on the Health Outcomes of Migrants and/or Refugees in Australia 1.0 Introduction The access to various services such as education, healthcare, insurance, employment, housing and social care affects the health of migrants and refugees in Australia. Access to services is paramount; this is because it determines the quality of health of migrants and refugees. Moreover, the access to services means timely use of health services to achieve the best health outcomes. The access to services affects timing of getting healthcare and hence impacts on the health of migrants and refugees. The health wellbeing of refugees and migrants depends on their ability to access various services as well as to navigate the healthcare system in Australia. Migrants and refugees face many barriers in accessing services, they must overcome these barriers in order for them to receive effective and quality healthcare. For instance, migrants and refugees in Australia have serious problems in accessing services such as financial help, lack of information, language barrier, as well lack of understanding of the health system in Australia. Access or lack of access of such services affects their health significantly. Essentially, access to comprehensive services is important for achievement of quality health care for increasing the quality of healthy life for the migrants and refugees as Grove & Zwi (2006) asserts. 2.0 Insurance Services According to Crock, Saul & Dastyari (2006) one of the most important services that affect the health of migrants and refugees is access to insurance services. Access to health insurance makes a big difference in whether and when migrants and refugees get necessary medical care, where they get their care and eventually, how healthy they are. Many migrants and refugees are not insured. This complicates the access to health care in Australia; this is because they do not have money to cater for their medical needs. This makes them to postpone or even sacrifice healthcare altogether. While Australians can get healthcare services at any time at any place, the migrants and refugees are constrained in specific places due to lack of money and health insurance. Lack of access to health insurance plays a significant role in impacting on the health of migrants and refugees. The consequences of lack of access to health insurance can be severe; especially when preventable conditions go unobserved (Wynaden, Chapman, Orb, McGowan, Zeeman & Yeak, 2005). Essentially, lack of access to health insurance make migrants and refugees to go without medical care as they cannot be able to meet medical cost, this deteriorates their health. 3.0 Communication and Language Barrier Davidson, Murray & Schweitzer (2008) indicate that communication is another major problem for migrants and refugees. Many migrants and refugees do not understand the official language in Australia, English. Access to healthcare depends on how they communicate with the healthcare providers. As such, language barrier is a block for refugees and migrants seeking healthcare. Language and communication is important because it affects all stages of access to healthcare – from booking an appointment to filing out prescriptions. Language barrier is not only essential in gaining access and scheduling appointments in healthcare system but it is also crucial for understanding, medical compliance and accurate diagnosis. As Fazel, Reed, Panter-Brick,& Stein (2012) indicate, language barrier is mentioned by healthcare providers as a major factor for the health conditions of the refuges and migrants in Australia. Problems in communication leads to misinterpretation, this makes it difficult for the healthcare providers to diagnose them more so when they have limited time. This impacts the quality of healthcare that migrants and refugees get. For instance, medical personnel is in record saying that “a Somali refugee delivered a baby on the hospital doorstep when there was open after hour emergency services on the other side of the building where they stayed.”If the refugee lady had been able to read and understand English, she would have had a much better chance of receiving emergency obstetrical care. In addition, understanding the Australian accent may also adversely impact refugees and migrants’ ability to access available health services as well as interacting effectively with the society. Davidson, Skull, Calache, Murray & Chalmers (2006) adds that poor communication makes them to lack confidence and linguistic skills to contact he healthcare providers and engage them in communicative interaction, this has major impact on the health of migrants and refugees. Moreover, it also indicates how lack of knowing the official language in Australia affects the health of refugees and migrants. Communication barrier plays a significant role in quality and better health of the migrants and refugees in Australia. 4.0 Legal Services Sheikh-Mohammed et al., (2006) report that access to legal services also impacts the health condition of migrants and refugees in Australia. Migrants and refugees only have access to acute treatment. They cannot be treated or given full medical attention without proper documentation of their status in the country. Steel et al., (2006) emphasize that lack of access to legal services also prevents them from accessing benefits and jobs. They have consistently lower levels of health insurance coverage.Surprisingly, they are not able to involve the services of legal counsel as they cannot afford it. This makes them to forego the much needed medical attention, this impacts to their health condition. 5.0 Occupation and Education Level The type of occupation, education level and earnings impacts directly and indirectly in to health conditions of migrants and refugees as Davidson, Skull, Calache, Chesters, & Chalmers (2007) explain. They are less likely to graduate from high school, they are also more likely to work in service occupations and live in poverty as well. Lack of access to employment or occupation is a major cause for health conditions of refugees and migrants in Australia. Many of them do not have money to cater for their healthcare needs as they do not have a source of income; they rely on donation and help (Morris, Popper, Rodwell, Brodine, & Brouwer, 2009). They are not employed and they are not involved in any income generating activity. This makes them to rely solely on the healthcare services provided to them by the government or the community. This is significantly short of their needs. As such, they end up not seeking medical attention as they cannot be able to pay for it, this impacts on their health condition. 6.0 Transport Services The location of migrants and refugees is another factor that impacts on their health condition (Correa-Velez, Gifford & Bice, 2005). They are situated in remote locations such that they are not able to access healthcare institutions. They do not have access to means of transport; this makes them to stay with health issues as they cannot be able to access health facilities. Their location also determines the choice of health care institution to attend, lack of means of transport makes them to rely on the medical services provided to them where they stay. This medical services are not comprehensive and hence not enough. The cost of accessing means of transport is very costly; they are hesitant to spend money on transport and healthcare. They consider buying other basic necessities such as clothing, food and shelter as more important than meeting the cost of medical care and paying for transport. Migrants and refugees do not have vehicles and therefore it is very difficult for them to go to healthcare providers. Either, they are not able to meet the cost of public means of transport (Omeri, Lennings & Raymond, 2006). In essence, location and access to transportation impacts on the health conditions of migrants and refugees. 7.0 Housing and Sanitation Services Access to good housing is another factor that impacts on the health condition of refuges and migrants. Refugees and migrants live in houses that lack basic commodities that are essential for survival. Refugees live in concentration camps where they lack clean water for consumption (Murray & Skull, 2005). This is a dire condition as access to clean water is paramount in daily living. Lack of clean water exposes them to risks of contracting diseases and health conditions. Furthermore, their housing lacks proper sanitation and sewerage disposal. They live in houses and places with ineffective waste disposal. This is likely to expose them to health risks related to poor sanitation (Rao et al., 2007). As such, housing without clean water, effective waste disposal, and other basic facilities pose substantialhealth dangers to migrants and refugees in Australia. 8.0 Conclusion This study found that access or lack of access to services such as health insurance, finances, language barrier and communication, education and social inclusion impacts the health condition of migrants and refugees. The study recommends that language and communication barriers have major impacts on their health conditions, there should be translation services for the migrants and refugees to help them in accessing services, and this would improve their health conditions. Access to housing, transportation, location and access to legal services impacts on the health conditions of migrants and refugees. The report indicates that access or lack of these services directly or indirectly impacts on their health conditions. While access to these services greatly increases their health condition, lack of the services deteriorates their health condition. 9.0 References Correa-Velez, I., Gifford, S. M., & Bice, S., J., (2005). Australian health policy on access to medical care for refugees and asylum seekers: Australia and New Zealand health policy, 2(1), 23. Crock, M., Saul, B., & Dastyari, A. (2006). Future seekers II: Refugees and irregular migration in Australia, Federation Press. Davidson, G. R., Murray, K. E., & Schweitzer, R., (2008). Review of refugee mental health and wellbeing: Australian perspectives. Australian Psychologist,43(3), 160-174. Davidson, N., Skull, S., Calache, H., Chesters, D., & Chalmers, J. (2007). Equitable access to dental care for an at‐risk group: a review of services for Australian refugees: Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 31(1), 73-80. Davidson, N., Skull, S., Calache, H., Murray, S., & Chalmers, J. (2006). Holes a plenty: oral health status a major issue for newly arrived refugees in Australia. Australian Dental Journal, 51(4), 306-311. Fazel, M., Reed, R. V., Panter-Brick, C., & Stein, A. (2012). Mental health of displaced and refugee children resettled in high-income countries: risk and protective factors. The Lancet, 379(9812), 266-282. Grove, N. J., & Zwi, A. B. (2006). Our health and theirs: Forced migration, othering, and public health. Social science & medicine, 62(8), 1931-1942. Morris, M. D., Popper, S. T., Rodwell, T. C., Brodine, S. K., & Brouwer, K. C. (2009). Healthcare barriers of refugee’s post-resettlement: Journal of community health, 34(6), 529-538. Murray, S. B., & Skull, S. A. (2005). Hurdles to health: immigrant and refugee health care in Australia. Australian Health Review, 29(1), 25-29. Omeri, A., Lennings, C., & Raymond, L. (2006). Beyond asylum: implications for nursing and health care delivery for Afghan refugees in Australia. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 17(1), 30-39. Rao, M., Prasad, S., Adshead, F., & Tissera, H. (2007). The built environment and health. The Lancet, 370,1111-1113. http://dx.doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61665-1 Sheikh-Mohammed, M., MacIntyre, C. R., Wood, N. J., Leask, J., & Isaacs, D. (2006). Barriers to access to health care for newly resettled sub-Saharan refugees in Australia: Med J Aust, 185(11-12), 594-597. Steel, Z., Silove, D., Brooks, R., Momartin, S., Alzuhairi, B., & Susljik, I. N. A. (2006). Impact of immigration detention and temporary protection on the mental health of refugees: The british journal of psychiatry, 188(1), 58-64. Wynaden, D., Chapman, R., Orb, A., McGowan, S., Zeeman, Z., & Yeak, S. (2005). Factors that influence Asian communities’ access to mental health care: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 14(2), 88-95. Read More