Migration Challenges and Their Impact on the Primary Healthcare System—A Qualitative Research
Olga Partyka,
Monika Pajewska,
Aleksandra Czerw,
Katarzyna Sygit,
Oleh Lyubinets,
Tomasz Banaś,
Krzysztof Małecki,
Elżbieta Grochans,
Szymon Grochans,
Anna Cybulska,
Daria Schneider-Matyka,
Elżbieta Cipora,
Mateusz Kaczmarski,
Krzysztof Sośnicki,
Grażyna Dykowska,
Zofia Sienkiewicz,
Łukasz Strzępek,
Ewa Bandurska,
Weronika Ciećko,
Jarosław Drobnik,
Piotr Pobrotyn,
Aleksandra Sierocka,
Michał Marczak,
Remigiusz Kozlowski
Affiliations
Olga Partyka
Department of Health Economics and Medical Law, Medical University of Warsaw, 01-445 Warsaw, Poland
Monika Pajewska
Department of Health Economics and Medical Law, Medical University of Warsaw, 01-445 Warsaw, Poland
Aleksandra Czerw
Department of Health Economics and Medical Law, Medical University of Warsaw, 01-445 Warsaw, Poland
Katarzyna Sygit
Faculty of Health Sciences, Calisia University, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland
Oleh Lyubinets
Department of Public Health, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, 79010 Lviv, Ukraine
Tomasz Banaś
Department of Radiotherapy, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Institute-Oncology Center, 31-115 Cracow, Poland
Krzysztof Małecki
Department of Radiotherapy for Children and Adults, University Children’s Hospital of Cracow, 30-663 Cracow, Poland
Elżbieta Grochans
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
Szymon Grochans
Department of Pediatric and Oncological Surgery, Urology and Hand Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-252 Szczecin, Poland
Anna Cybulska
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
Daria Schneider-Matyka
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
Elżbieta Cipora
Medical Institute, Jan Grodek State University in Sanok, 38-500 Sanok, Poland
Mateusz Kaczmarski
Medical Institute, Jan Grodek State University in Sanok, 38-500 Sanok, Poland
Krzysztof Sośnicki
Medical Institute, Jan Grodek State University in Sanok, 38-500 Sanok, Poland
Grażyna Dykowska
Department of Health Economics and Medical Law, Medical University of Warsaw, 01-445 Warsaw, Poland
Zofia Sienkiewicz
Department of Nursing, Social and Medical Development, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
Łukasz Strzępek
Department of Surgery, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Cracow University, 30-705 Cracow, Poland
Ewa Bandurska
Center for Competence Development, Integrated Care and e-Health, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-204 Gdansk, Poland
Weronika Ciećko
Center for Competence Development, Integrated Care and e-Health, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-204 Gdansk, Poland
Jarosław Drobnik
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 51-141 Wroclaw, Poland
Piotr Pobrotyn
Pulsantis Specialist and Rehabilitation Clinic Ltd., 53-238 Wroclaw, Poland
Aleksandra Sierocka
Department of Management and Logistics in Healthcare, Medical University of Lodz, 90-131 Lodz, Poland
Michał Marczak
Department of Innovation, Merito University in Poznan, 61-895, Poznan, Poland
Remigiusz Kozlowski
Department of Management and Logistics in Healthcare, Medical University of Lodz, 90-131 Lodz, Poland
In 2020 it is estimated that 281 million people were international migrants. Migrants constitute a potentially vulnerable population in terms of facing discrimination, poor living and housing conditions, and insufficient access to healthcare services. Due to the armed conflict in Ukraine in 2022, almost 10 million people crossed the Polish border within a year of the outbreak of the conflict. The objective of this paper is to present the use of primary healthcare services by people migrating from Ukraine to Poland and identify the barriers in access to healthcare by this group of persons. This study used a qualitative research technique in the form of an expert interview using individual in-depth interviews (IDI). The study group consisted of professionally active primary healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, and facility managers) in Poland. Research was carried out in the areas regarding the availability of healthcare, the potential threats and challenges, and possible system solutions. The results showed that the most common cause for doctor’s appointments among migrants are respiratory infections, including COVID-19. Many cases were related to back pain, mainly resulting from the physical work of the patients. Additionally, some barriers to access and the provision of healthcare services for patients from Ukraine were identified. The majority (75%) of respondents indicated language as a significant barrier when providing services. Based on the study results, we recommend creating a dedicated website and telephone hotline for this group of persons as well as the use of traditional media to distribute information about access to healthcare services. It is also essential to focus on assistance for older people, since they may experience more difficulties with language and navigating the healthcare system.