Access to Health Services for Irregular Migrants Living in Europe from the Perspective of the Right to Health

Year 2020, Volume: 19 Issue: 1, 37 - 60, 27.01.2020

Zeynep Hiçdurmaz , Hülya Yüksel

https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.627312

Cited By: 2

Abstract

Migrants face many legal,
social, cultural and economic problems during and after the migration process.
Irregular migrants, a subgroup of immigrants, who are part of the “immigrant
crisis” in the official discourse of the European countries,  face these problems much more intensively.
Persons entering and working in their countries without legal permission are
stigmatized as illegal or irregular. In this sense, irregular migrants are one
of the groups most adversely affected by the migration policies of European
countries. The
aim of this study is to reveal the barriers that irregular migrants face in
accessing health services in European countries. A literature search used a
descriptive  analysis to create  themes and sub-categories. Access to health
care for irregular migrants in European countries is no longer considered a
basic human right as a result of the crisis of the welfare state.Our findings
reveal that, due
to the structural and individual barriers to access to health services,
irregular migrants constitute the most disadvantaged group in accessing health
services compared to the other groups of migrants. Furthermore, viewing
irregular migrants as a national security issue has impeded creating policies
that provide access to health care to this population. It is concluded
that the access to health services for irregular migrants living in Europe
needs to be revised from the perspective of the right to health.

Keywords

Undocumented migrants, migrant health, access to health care, crisis of the welfare state, European countries

Sağlık Hakkı Perspektifinde Avrupa’da Yaşayan Düzensiz Göçmenlerin Sağlık Hizmetlerine Erişimi

Abstract

Göçmenler, göç sürecinde ve sonrasında yasal, sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik, birçok sorunla karşı karşıya kalmaktadır. Avrupa ülkelerinin resmi söylemlerinde “göçmen krizi” olarak yer almaya başlayan düzensiz göçmenler ise, bu sorunları çok daha yoğun biçimde yaşamaktadırlar. Bulundukları ülkelere, yasal izne sahip olmadan giren ve çalışan kişiler yasa dışı ya da düzensiz olarak damgalanmaktadırlar. Bu anlamda düzensiz göçmenler, Avrupa ülkelerinin göç politikalarından en olumsuz şekilde etkilenen gruplardan biridir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Avrupa ülkelerinde yaşayan düzensiz göçmenlerin sağlık hizmetlerine erişimde karşılaştıkları engelleri ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaçla, alanyazında bu konuda yer alan makaleler kategorik içerik analiz tekniği ile analiz edilip, tema ve alt kategoriler oluşturulmuştur. Çalışma boyunca hâkim olan yaklaşım, sağlığın bir insan hakkı olarak ele alınması gerekliliğidir. Refah devletinin yaşadığı krizin sonucunda, Avrupa ülkelerinde düzensiz göçmenlerin sağlık hizmetlerine erişimi artık temel bir insan hakkı olarak ele alınmamaktadır. Araştırma bulgularına göre, düzensiz göçmenler sağlık hizmetlerine erişimin önündeki yapısal ve bireysel engeller nedeniyle, diğer göçmen gruplarına kıyasla sağlık hizmetlerine erişimde en dezavantajlı konumda bulunan grubu oluşturmaktadır. Düzensiz göçmen sağlığı, birçok Avrupa ülkesinde, bir insan hakkı olmaktan ziyade, ulusal çıkarlar tarafından sınırlandırılmış bir politika alanı olarak ele alınmaktadır. Sonuç ve öneriler kısmında ise, Avrupa’da yaşayan düzensiz göçmenlerin sağlık hizmetlerine erişiminin sağlık hakkı perspektifinde yeniden gözden geçirilmesi gerektiği ortaya konmuştur.

Keywords

Düzensiz göçmenler, göçmen sağlığı, sağlık hizmetlerine erişim, refah devletinin krizi, Avrupa ülkeleri

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