Health challenges in refugee reception: dateline Europe 2016
Article
Blitz, B., D'Angelo, A., Kofman, E. and Montagna, N. 2017. Health challenges in refugee reception: dateline Europe 2016. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 14 (12). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14121484
Type | Article |
---|---|
Title | Health challenges in refugee reception: dateline Europe 2016 |
Authors | Blitz, B., D'Angelo, A., Kofman, E. and Montagna, N. |
Abstract | The arrival of more than one million migrants, many of them refugees, has proved a major test for the European Union. Although international relief and monitoring agencies have been critical of makeshift camps in Calais and Eidomeni where infectious disease and overcrowding present major health risks, few have examined the nature of the official reception system and its impact on health delivery. Drawing upon research findings from an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project, this article considers the physical and mental health of asylum-seekers in transit and analyses how the closure of borders has engendered health risks for populations in recognised reception centres in Sicily and in Greece. Data gathered by means of a survey administered in Greece (300) and in Sicily (400), and complemented by in-depth interviews with migrants (45) and key informants (50) including representatives of government offices, humanitarian and relief agencies, NGOs and activist organisations, are presented to offer an analysis of the reception systems in the two frontline states. We note that medical provision varies significantly from one centre to another and that centre managers play a critical role in the transmission of vital information. A key finding is that, given such disparity, the criteria used by the UNHCR to grade health services reception do not address the substantive issue that prevent refugees from accessing health services, even when provided on site. Health provision is not as recorded in UNHCR reporting but rather there are critical gaps between provision, awareness, and access for refugees in reception systems in Sicily and in Greece. This article concludes that there is a great need for more information campaigns to direct refugees to essential services. |
Keywords | refugee reception; health; medical; psychological services; Italy; Sicily; Greece; European Union |
Research Group | Centre for Enterprise, Environment and Development Research (CEEDR) |
Publisher | MDPI |
Journal | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
ISSN | 1661-7827 |
Electronic | 1660-4601 |
Publication dates | |
30 Nov 2017 | |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 11 Dec 2017 |
Accepted | 21 Nov 2017 |
Submitted | 12 Oct 2017 |
Output status | Published |
Publisher's version | License |
Copyright Statement | © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Additional information | This article belongs to the Special Issue Refugee Health (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/special_issues/refugee_health) |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14121484 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-85036534599 |
Web of Science identifier | WOS:000423699400047 |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/875y3
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