Worldwide, there is limited literature on Pakistani immigrants' challenges and experiences accessing healthcare services for their children and themselves. In this article, we present a case study of Pakistani immigrant mothers in New Zealand to explore their experiences and perspectives on navigating the healthcare system of a new country. Data was collected from 23 mothers in Wellington through in-depth semi-structured interviews, which each lasted 60 to 80 min. Participants had been living in New Zealand for an average of 3.25 years and were mostly highly educated. They talked about their prior knowledge and experiences regarding the New Zealand healthcare system. Lack of knowledge, different expectations, and experiences of healthcare services inhibited their utilization of healthcare. Most mothers treated their children at home before visiting a general practitioner (GP) due to previous perceived unsatisfactory experiences, such as lack of availability of GP appointments for the same or next day, or long waiting times at emergency departments and after hours medical facilities. Immigrant mothers need to feel they are getting the right services at the right time to ensure and promote better health outcomes. Identifying the barriers and promoting information about the healthcare system can play an essential role in the appropriate use of health services by immigrant mothers.
Worldwide migration leads to people bringing beliefs and practices from one country into another, including those related to self-medication. This study explores the self-medication practices of Pakistani mothers for their children and their reasons for self-medication. We interviewed 23 immigrants. Each interview lasted 60-80 min and was conducted in Urdu. Participants had been living in New Zealand on average 3.25 years. They talked about their prior knowledge and experiences regarding self-medication behaviour for their children. The majority of the mothers treat their children at home before visiting a general practitioner (GP) due to previous unsatisfactory experiences. There was a significant relationship between participants who had family members in healthcare professions, their experiences of healthcare services and self-medication. Bringing medicines from Pakistan is a key source for self-medication practices. Self-medication awareness programs could help mothers to practice safe and responsible use of medicines for the benefit of their children.
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