Overcoming barriers to health-care access: A qualitative study among African migrants in Guangzhou, China.
Glob Public Health
; 11(9): 1135-47, 2016 10.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26400191
ABSTRACT
Guangzhou is China's third most populous city, and the region's burgeoning manufacturing economy has attracted many young African businessmen and entrepreneurs to the city. The aims of this study were to examine strategies that African migrants in Guangzhou have adopted in response to health-care barriers, and explore their perceptions of how to address their needs. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews and two focus groups were conducted among African migrants residing in Guangzhou, China. Facing multiple barriers to care, African migrants have adopted a number of suboptimal and unsustainable approaches to access health care. These included using their Chinese friends or partners as interpreters, self-medicating, using personal connections to medical doctors, and travelling to home countries or countries that offer English-speaking doctors for health care. Health-care providers and health organisations in Guangzhou have not yet acquired sufficient cultural competence to address the needs of African migrants residing in the city. Introducing linguistically and culturally competent health-care services in communities concentrated with African migrants may better serve the population. With the growing international migration to China, it is essential to develop sustainable approaches to improving health-care access for international migrants, particularly those who are marginalised.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Transients and Migrants
/
Communication Barriers
/
Confidentiality
/
Medical Tourism
/
Culturally Competent Care
/
Health Services Accessibility
/
National Health Programs
Type of study:
Qualitative_research
Aspects:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
/
Equity_inequality
/
Implementation_research
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
/
Asia
Language:
En
Journal:
Glob Public Health
Journal subject:
SAUDE PUBLICA
Year:
2016
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States