Access to ER care |
• ER physicians reported no difference in admission or treatment of undocumented migrants |
• Lack of access to previous medical records was a problem for ER physicians |
• Delay in treatment seeking implied that undocumented migrants presented with more advanced disease |
• Providing treatment for undocumented migrants increased the administrative work. |
Access to GP care |
• Lack of formal entitlements to primary care made access more difficult |
• If the general practitioner agreed to treat the undocumented migrant, there was no difference in the services they offer in their own clinic |
• Referral pathways are more complicated for undocumented migrants e.g. only access to external diagnostic facilities at the ER |
• Follow-up was problematic due to lack of continuity of care for undocumented migrants. |
Language issues |
• Diagnosing was complicated due to language problems |
• Language barriers made it difficult for the health professional to provide psychosocial support to the undocumented migrant. |
Strategies for solving financial issues for GPs |
• GP covered expenses of treatment |
• GP offered treatment at a charge. |
Uncertainty of the health professionals |
• GPs were uncertain concerning hospital admission of undocumented migrants |
• GPs were uncertain about whether they could prescribe medicine because the undocumented migrant had no social security number |
• The encounter with undocumented migrants could evoke unpleasant feelings in GPs |
• Health professionals did not know whether they were obliged to report undocumented migrants to the police. |
Involvement of police or other authorities |
• Health professionals choose to focus solely on the medical problem of the undocumented migrant |
• Health professionals would report the undocumented migrant to the police only when they suspected a serious crime was involved |
• ER physicians would contact the police only if it was necessary for identification of the undocumented migrant or relatives in the case of a fatal outcome of treatment. |