Migrant workers suffer acutely for lack of healthcare services in Gulf
Staff Reporter :
Migrant workers in the Gulf states have suffer acutely due to lack of health care services in their work places, according to a recent report.
The study, titled “The Cost of Living: Access to Health for Migrant Workers in the Gulf,” has been prepared by a coalition of organisations, including the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines.
RMMRU presented the study findings in a media briefing at the national press club on Monday.
The study found that the low-income migrant workers faced several obstacles to access non-emergency healthcare in the Gulf states including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The findings are based on quantitative and qualitative research in the Gulf states and in multiple countries of origin.
The coalition conducted the research with in-person survey of 1,101 lower earning migrant workers in between May-July of this year.
RMMRU Executive Director DR CR Abrar said, “The study showed that the most problems are when migrant workers’ illnesses or injuries do not meet the doorstep for free emergency health care.”
“Besides to affordability, lack of documentation and lack of insurance, many of the migrant workers informed that racial discrimination that discouraged or prevented them from accessing adequate healthcare,” he said.
The findings also indicated that unaffordable medical services cost also is a major barrier in this regards.
About 30pc of migrant workers among the participants of the survey, said that they could rarely or never afford healthcare,
and only 18pc of them saying they could always afford healthcare. The main obstacle to get healthcare services was a lack of proper documentation, with more than half of the participants as well 51pc saying they had been discouraged or prevented from accessing healthcare systems due to not having physical proof of their identity.
The report found that the Gulf countries’ healthcare services are generally not tailored to the specific requirements of the migrant worker population.
It also added that there is obvious evidence of discrimination in access to healthcare for migrant workers, with lack of documentation and affordability the most significant obstacles.
Migrant workers in the Gulf states have suffer acutely due to lack of health care services in their work places, according to a recent report.
The study, titled “The Cost of Living: Access to Health for Migrant Workers in the Gulf,” has been prepared by a coalition of organisations, including the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines.
RMMRU presented the study findings in a media briefing at the national press club on Monday.
The study found that the low-income migrant workers faced several obstacles to access non-emergency healthcare in the Gulf states including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The findings are based on quantitative and qualitative research in the Gulf states and in multiple countries of origin.
The coalition conducted the research with in-person survey of 1,101 lower earning migrant workers in between May-July of this year.
RMMRU Executive Director DR CR Abrar said, “The study showed that the most problems are when migrant workers’ illnesses or injuries do not meet the doorstep for free emergency health care.”
“Besides to affordability, lack of documentation and lack of insurance, many of the migrant workers informed that racial discrimination that discouraged or prevented them from accessing adequate healthcare,” he said.
The findings also indicated that unaffordable medical services cost also is a major barrier in this regards.
About 30pc of migrant workers among the participants of the survey, said that they could rarely or never afford healthcare,
and only 18pc of them saying they could always afford healthcare. The main obstacle to get healthcare services was a lack of proper documentation, with more than half of the participants as well 51pc saying they had been discouraged or prevented from accessing healthcare systems due to not having physical proof of their identity.
The report found that the Gulf countries’ healthcare services are generally not tailored to the specific requirements of the migrant worker population.
It also added that there is obvious evidence of discrimination in access to healthcare for migrant workers, with lack of documentation and affordability the most significant obstacles.
