Demographic and clinical characteristics of refugees seeking primary healthcare services in Greece in the period 2015–2016: a descriptive study

Kakalou, Eleni; Riza, Elena; Chalikias, Miltiadis; Voudouri, Niki Maria; Vetsika, A; Tsiamis, Costas; Choursoglou, S; Terzidis, Agis; Karamagioli, Evika; Antypas, T; Pikoulis, Emmanouil

doi:10.1093/inthealth/ihy042

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Medical screening was only offered to asylum seekers who applied for a work permit [32]. There was no decision by the Ministry of Health to apply mass screening [55]. By the late spring and summer of 2016, a mass vaccination campaign was finally organized by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health [55].…”

Section: Health Problems Facing Refugeesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There was no decision by the Ministry of Health to apply mass screening [55]. By the late spring and summer of 2016, a mass vaccination campaign was finally organized by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health [55]. Greece now offers specific vaccinations according to the national guidelines for immunization, including those against diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, poliomyelitis, and measles/mumps/rubella [47].…”

Section: Health Problems Facing Refugeesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Access to specialist care or treatment in about half of all cases is offered by NGOs and not by the NHS [55]. NGOs also have a distinct role to play in emergency preparedness.…”

Section: The Refugee Crisis Challenges the Greek Healthcare Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these terms, NGOs are key players in advocating adequate protection in the context of healthcare provision. Likewise, medical screening, and more research and systematic data collection by NGOs are needed to inform policies and to support the development of strategies for the specific humanitarian challenges posed by the recent refugee waves reaching Greece [55]. On the other hand, the existence of NGOs perpetuates the government’s reliance on them, and this is a matter of great concern.…”

Section: The Refugee Crisis Challenges the Greek Healthcare Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of the Refugee Crisis on the Greek Healthcare System: A Long Road to Ithaca

Kotsiou

Kotsios

Srivastava

et al. 2018

IJERPH

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Greece is the country of “Xenios Zeus”, the Ancient Greek god of foreigners and hospitality; however, it is also the main point of entry to Europe. Since the beginning of 2014, 1,112,332 refugees crossed the borders of Greece. Overall, 33,677 children and adolescent refugees sought asylum in Greece from 2013 to 2017, while 57,042 refugees are currently being hosted. The rapid entry of refugees into Greece raised the critical issue of health policy. The Greek National Health Service (NHS) faces many challenges. Adequate economic and human support is essential if this situation is to be managed successfully. However, Greece still bears the burden of the economic downturn since 2009. In fact, the crisis led to shortages in crucial equipment, and unmet health needs for both locals and refugees. The NHS deals with traumatic experiences, as well as cultural and linguistic differences. Overcrowded reception centers and hotspots are highly demanding and are associated with severe disease burden. This highlights the importance of guidelines for medical screening, healthcare provision, and a well-managed transition to definitive medical facilities. Furthermore, non-governmental organizations make an essential contribution by ensuring appropriate support to refugee minors, especially when they experience poor access to the NHS.

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Section: Health Problems Facing Refugeesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Health Problems Facing Refugeesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Access to specialist care or treatment in about half of all cases is offered by NGOs and not by the NHS [55]. NGOs also have a distinct role to play in emergency preparedness.…”

Section: The Refugee Crisis Challenges the Greek Healthcare Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Refugee Crisis Challenges the Greek Healthcare Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Impact of the Refugee Crisis on the Greek Healthcare System: A Long Road to Ithaca

Kotsiou

Kotsios

Srivastava

et al. 2018

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Rates of acute and chronic health issues, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and nutritional de ciencies are high in the camps and are compounded by inadequate healthcare services. The poor living conditions, physical illness and injuries, lack of social support and uncertainty about the future all contribute to the development of signi cant emotional distress and poor mental health in asylum-seeker populations (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘A Cross Sectional Survey of Sociodemographic Characteristics, Primary Care Health Needs and Living Conditions of Asylum-Seekers Living in a Greek Reception Centre.’

Gordon

O-Brien

Balen

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BackgroundIn 2019, a migrant camp on the Greek island of Samos designed for 650 people was home to over 5500. Migration rates from conflict zones remain high. We aimed to quantitatively describe demographics, living conditions and health needs in the reception centre community of Samos, Greece.MethodsA questionnaire was designed with reference to international humanitarian standards for reception centre following a consultative process with representatives of the asylum-seeker population. Domains assessed included demographics; living conditions; safety/vulnerability; and health. The questionnaire was piloted and then following feedback from participants, conducted in June 2019 on a sample of 500 asylum seekers attending Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) centres supporting the Samos reception centre. Results500 participants: 60.6% male, 35.0% female and 4.4% did not report gender. 79.4% lived in tents. Respondents were predominantly from Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Respondents reported a total of 570 children in their care. 20.6% of women were pregnant. 35.4% had experienced physical violence; 7.8% reported Sexual/ Gender-based violence (SGBV). 83% reported psychological distress, 71% skin disease, 66% diarrhoea and vomiting and 64% respiratory disease. Accommodation, sanitation, and nutrition fell below internationally recognised standards, and poor access to water was significantly associated (p < 0.001) with respiratory disease, diarrhoea and vomiting, skin disease and psychological distress. ConclusionLiving conditions in the over-burdened Samos camp fall far below accepted basic humanitarian standards and are associated with overall poor health status in the camp population. Further research is imperative to analyse and monitor the diverse, varying needs of asylum-seekers in the Greek island hotspots and inform policies to improve conditions.

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A cross-sectional survey of sociodemographic characteristics, primary care health needs and living conditions of asylum-seekers living in a Greek reception centre

Gordon

O’Brien

Balen

et al. 2021

J Public Health (Berl.)

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Background In 2019, a migrant camp on the Greek island of Samos designed for 650 people was home to a growing population of over 5500. We aimed to quantitatively describe living conditions and health needs in the camp. Methods A questionnaire was designed with reference to international humanitarian standards, following a consultative process with the asylum-seeker population. Domains assessed included demographics, living conditions, safety/vulnerability, and health. The questionnaire was piloted and then conducted in June 2019 on a sample of asylum seekers. Results Five hundred participants, predominantly from Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Of these, 79.4% lived in tents. Respondents cared for a total of 570 children; 20.6% of women were pregnant, 35.4% had experienced violence, 83% psychological distress, 71% skin disease, 66% diarrhoea and vomiting, and 64% respiratory disease. Accommodation, sanitation, and nutrition fell below internationally recognised standards, and poor access to water was significantly associated (p < 0.001) with respiratory disease, diarrhoea and vomiting, skin disease ,and psychological distress. Conclusions Living conditions in the Samos camp fall below basic humanitarian standards and are associated with poor health status. Further research is imperative to analyse and monitor the diverse, varying needs of asylum-seekers and inform policies to improve conditions.

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Demographic and clinical characteristics of refugees seeking primary healthcare services in Greece in the period 2015–2016: a descriptive study

Abstract: More research and systematic data collection are needed to inform appropriate policies for the humanitarian challenges posed by the recent refugee and migrant waves in Europe.

Cited by 14 publications

References 17 publications

Impact of the Refugee Crisis on the Greek Healthcare System: A Long Road to Ithaca

Impact of the Refugee Crisis on the Greek Healthcare System: A Long Road to Ithaca

‘A Cross Sectional Survey of Sociodemographic Characteristics, Primary Care Health Needs and Living Conditions of Asylum-Seekers Living in a Greek Reception Centre.’

A cross-sectional survey of sociodemographic characteristics, primary care health needs and living conditions of asylum-seekers living in a Greek reception centre

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