Thesis Statement
When trying to gain access to health services and nursing care, refugees always encounter almost insurmountable barriers, which generates various additional health risks for them and the host nation.
Background
It is no secret that being a refugee is a thing no one wants to experience. They have no way back, and the foreign land is now their new home. On their way to becoming a natural community within society, they encounter many barriers in all societal institutions. Unfortunately, health and nursing care which refugees need perhaps most of all, is no exception here. The socio-cultural challenges that this population faces are always “scheduling conflicts, long waiting lists, lack of knowledge about doctors, and language” (Kohlenberger et al., 2019, p. 833). These barriers not only worsen the physiological and mental illnesses and disorders present in a given social group but also hinder the process of their integration into society. A possible solution to this almost institutional problem could be ethnic diversification of the nursing workforce and multicultural and diversity training.
Why This Topic?
The reason for choosing this topic of the difficult situation of refugees in the health care of the host countries was the recent military conflict in Eastern Europe. Russian government launched an aggressive and brutal war against Ukraine, which led to a large influx of refugees into neighboring states and Western countries. According to experts, they flee into “Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova” (How many refugees, 2022, para. 2). There is a strong possibility that this European conflict may worsen significantly, which will increase the number of asylum seekers. As one can see, there is a new challenge for nurses and other healthcare workers to improve their cultural awareness and become more diverse to prepare an effective response to such societal changes.
References
How many refugees have fled Ukraine and where are they going? (2022). BBC News. Web.
Kohlenberger, J., Buber-Ennser, I., Rengs, B., Leitner, S., & Landesmann, M. (2019). Barriers to health care access and service utilization of refugees in Austria: Evidence from a cross-sectional survey. Health Policy, 123(9), 833-839. Web.