IOM and Moldovan Ministry Partner on Migrant Health Study
IOM together with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova
recently released the results of a joint study titled "Moldovan
Migrants' Health - Impact of the Socio-Economic Welfare".
The study carried out during the period January to March 2010,
polled 2,300 respondents in 12 regions of the country and examined
factors contributing to migrants' health such as access to health
services in Moldova and abroad and health problems exacerbated by
migration such as transmission of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted
diseases.
The study was undertaken to inform the development of relevant
state polices and activities regarding migrants' health and the
health system in Moldova and targeted three distinct
migrant-related groups including: Moldovan migrants; family members
of migrants receiving remittances and migrants' family members not
receiving remittances.
Link
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target="_blank" title="">Moldovan Migrants' Health: Impact of the
Socio-Economic Welfare
The study revealed an overall "negligence" amongst the
respondents regarding health care, however this was particularly
true of migrants, who reported postponing medical visits until
their return to Moldova, and seeking medical services in the host
country only in emergency cases due to the high cost of medical
services abroad and pressure at the workplace (inability to take
time off from work, fear of losing their job, etc.). Based on
the survey, migrants were half-as-likely to seek state-provided
medical services as the rest of the population and the medical
insurance coverage rate among families affected by migration at
about 15 per cent lower than the wider population. This
reflects partly the average age of migrants and lack of
eligibility, but also a general scepticism of medical insurance
reported by migrants and their families.
The study also found that migrants associate migration with
certain inherent risks for their health and psychosocial well
being. These risks are attributed to the process of emigration
including separation from family, living and working conditions in
the host country, and frequent lack of legal
documentation.
Specific conditions reported which pose potential health risks
include: the living environment in the host country (nearly 16 per
cent of migrants live in improvised dwellings - trailers,
basements, unfinished constructions, etc.); work schedule (six out
of ten migrants reported working more than eight hours per day,
eight out of ten worked more than five days per week); and working
conditions (high noise levels, contaminated air and working at
heights with no proper equipment when exposed to such conditions).
According to the report the rate of work-related accidents amongst
Moldovans working abroad is tens times higher than on the national
labour market.
According to the survey, migrants were also at significant risk
for transmission of HIV and STD infections based on an increased
incidence of "casual" sexual encounters.
The research was carried out within the framework of the IOM
project "Managing the Impact of Migration on the Healthcare System
of Moldova" with funding from the IOM 1035 Facility and
methodological and financial support from the World Health
Organization and UNAIDS.
A copy of the report, "Moldovan Migrants' Health: Impact of the
Socio-Economic Welfare", can be seen on the IOM Moldova website at:
"http://www.iom.md/index.php/en/media-center/146-new-publication-migrants-health-study"
target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.iom.md/index.php/en/media-center/146-new-publication-migrants-health-study.
For more information, please contact:
Simion Terzioglo
IOM Moldova
Tel: + 373 22/ 23 29 40/41 Ext. 104
E-mail:
"mailto:sterzioglo@iom.int">sterzioglo@iom.int