Medicine on the Move

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The situation in Gaza demands our attention. Swipe to learn more about it>>

According to research by Amsterdam UMC on Post-COVID Health in the Netherlands, migrants have a higher risk of post-COVID syndrome.

Links:
Original scientific article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666776223000492?via%3Dihub

AMS UMC: https://www.amsterdamumc.org/nl/vandaag/mensen-met-migratieachtergrond-vaker-last-van-postcovidsyndroom.htm

Migration Myths: what are some examples of migration myths that you have come across?

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Vocabulary post of the week!

We kindly invite you to join the upcoming Global Health Hub Symposium organized by the Global Health Unit, UMCG.

The symposium will focus on the theme "A Global Approach to Anticipate and Tackle Future One-Health Challenges." It will cover four thought-provoking topics:

Global Health Strategy

Global Health Diagnostic in a OneHealth context

WAAH! Accelerator One Health

Pandemic preparedness using a "One Health" approach: will we do better?

It is with great privilege that we announce speakers: prof. dr. Stephanie Klein Nagelvoort Schuit, mr. drs. Bru­no Bruins, prof. dr. Sabine Dittrich, dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, and prof. dr. Ab Osterhaus, who are at the forefront of driving positive change in global health.

We believe that this symposium presents a unique opportunity for you to gain valuable knowledge and contribute to these important discussions.

Please visit the website for more information:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/807d4c5f454143218838f7b53f9b65de

Health care for asylum-seekers in the Netherlands is organised by the commercial business GZA (Healthcare Asylum seekers), on the behalf of the COA(Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers). In response to the shortcomings of GZA, the COA hired two other healthcare companies: “Just4Care” and “Arts & Specialist”, which established “crisis emergency shelters”.

Both healthcare companies make profit by charging unproportionate rates for the medical staff they hire. Example: Arts & Specialist allocates junior doctors (“basisartsen”) to the shelters - who are cheaper than specialized doctors - and receives a margin of 50%. The agency hires GPs to provide supervision at a distance and charges them 100€ per hour – even if the GP only called for 4 patients in a day.

The, often inexperienced, junior doctors get negligible guidance and are concerned about the lack of essential resources, such as a blood pressure monitor and electronic health records. Aiming for the cheapest care has resulted in administrative chaos and crippling care which is now costing the COA dearly: The costs for asylum this year are more than 3 billion higher than previously budgeted.
Refugees are entitled to the same care as locals. This, however, is hindered by COA’s continuous drive for cutbacks and the focus on short term solutions. All this is making it expensive for the government yet profitable for suppliers.

Get ready for our Bake Sale this Thursday! We’ll have muffins, cupcakes, iced coffee and more!

Vocabulary of the week!

Migration, health care are interlinked in many ways. Due to worldwide migration, globalisation and also European enlargement, communities in Europe are becoming more and more diverse on the local level as well. The health status of migrants and ethnic minority groups is often worse than that of the average population. These groups are more vulnerable, due to their lower socio- economic status, and sometimes because of traumatic migration experiences and lack of adequate social support. Minority groups are at risk of not receiving the same level of health care in diagnosis, treatment and preventive services that the average population receives. Health care services are not responsive enough to the specific needs of minorities.
Therefore, increasing diversity is an important issue for health systems and services.

Balkan Route
The Balkan route is one of the main passages that refugees and migrants take to get to Europe. The route refers to entries from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
Croatia
Through this passage, many people on the move attempt to cross from the non-EU Balkan countries to EU-member Croatia. Being a Schengen country since December 2022, Croatia allows free movement of people to other EU-countries without border control. Border control is still in place at the borders with Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
EU law and Human Rights
By entering the Schengen area, Croatia committed to applying international- and EU law, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Refugee Convention. Particularly, this involves the duty to adhere to the principle of non-refoulement in the process of border control and management (= not obliging refugees or asylum seekers to return to an unsafe country). An asylum seeker has the right to apply for asylum in the first EU country where he or she enters. As applies to all EU countries, Croatian authorities have the obligation to start the legal procedure to aid the right to apply for international protection which people on the move have, by analyzing their situation case-by-case.
Violation of rules and rights
Yet, Croatian authorities have been denying access to asylum and have engaged in collective expulsions, including violent pushbacks by Croatian police. Furthermore, people on the move are brought to camps in Bosnia. Recent documentation (spring 2023) reported buses that send people from Croatia to the EU-funded camps of Lipa and Borici in Bosnia.
Finally, conducting timely, thorough, and independent investigations of reported police misconduct is persistently failing, as is holding to account those who are responsible

Tyranny, bombardment, and persecution - such are the causes that force asylum seekers (a.s.) to abandon their homelands in search of refuge. Traveling through treacherous journeys and facing debilitating obstacles, they pray for mercy and plea for the compassion of those more fortunate. Once - and if - granted, they finally attempt to confront the battles within; restoring ruins left behind the arduous, completed quest.
Common Issues
The most common psychological issues a.s. struggle with are: depression, anxiety, psychosis, and PTSD. These conditions can severely affect daily functioning if not handled in the right timing and manner. Unfortunately, such circumstances are not uncommon among a.s. due to the great burden the task of handling their affairs poses on the assigned resources.
Dutch System
In the Netherlands, a.s. receive a specialized program that offers general healthcare services, the GZA (Asylum-Seeker Healthcare), on par with the citizens'. Through which they can reach a mental healthcare nurse practitioner (POH-GGZ) if needed.
Yet, although such a service is provided, unfortunately, it is not enough. Various obstacles still exist, some of which are prior stigmas and the lengthy duration of the asylum procedure.
Stigma
Several individuals come from diverse backgrounds, all of which have varying views on mental health and the means to be sought. Thus, a great deal of them still have a withstanding opposition to the available care due to particular ideologies. Which is another reason why people don't get the care they need.

Asylum Procedure
Moreover, the period it takes for individuals to be introduced into the society and integrate is much delayed. Therefore, creating a bigger obstacle and widening the gap between the a.s. and their chance to heal their wounds and to allow things to fall back into place and perspective. The longer the duration, the more difficult it will be for them to hold onto their glare of hope, sense of self-worth, and relevance to the community.

RESEARCH CALL
To improve the care given to people with a migration background during a hospital admission, Medicine on the Move has teamed up with the Global Health Unit to lead a Bachelor Project that will focus on this topic. We are looking for individuals who want to share their experience as a previous patient in one of the UMCG’s nursing wards, during an interview.

Participants must fulfill the following criteria:
Age > 18 years
Previous hospital admission at the UMCG
Migration background of a MENA (Middle Eastern and North African) country
Little to no proficiency in Dutch or English (interviews will be held with a translator)

Do you or someone you know fulfill these criteria and want to share their experiences in order to improve the care that future patients will receive? You can send an email at: [email protected] or [email protected].

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