Migration and Health in Norvegia : challenges and trends

The report was published by Helsedirektoratet, the Norwegian Directorate of Health in May 2009.

“By way of introduction, the report presents a wide backdrop to the issues surrounding migration and health. The chapters that follow deal with a number of special topics of great significance for how the health service can respond to those issues.

In Chapter 1: “The big picture”, migration is described in terms of a global phenomenon. Here we address the problem of inequitable distribution of welfare and good health globally, and emphasize Norway’s means of influencing this state of affairs.

Chapter 2 “Health and ethnicity” deals with the issues surrounding health status, risk factors and the use of health services by different immigrant groups. There are great health disparities throughout the Norwegian population, and this is also true with regard to the health of immigrants. Disease patterns vary from one ethnic group to the next. The causes of health disparities are associated just as much with factors such as education, financial and social circumstances as they are with ethnic, genetic, cultural or linguistic determinants.

In Chapter 3 we turn our attention to the challenges associated with interaction with the health services – from the perspective of both the user and the service. The emphasis is on ensuring that the service picks up on and caters for the diversity of the population.

Chapter 4 deals with mental health among immigrants, with special emphasis on refugees and asylum seekers. We describe factors affecting health after fleeing and crises.

Chapter 5 offers input on the debate concerning the rights of paperless immigrants. The report advocates action to clarify the right of paperless immigrants to health care, and the responsibilities of the authorities.

Chapter 6 describes the new wave of labour immigrants. This immigration has provided Norway with much-needed labour, but has also created challenges for the health services, especially as regards the provision of information, organisation and scaling of the services.

There is currently substantial international migration of health personnel. This is the theme of Chapter 7. Here we examine the increasing demand for health and care personnel in rich countries in the years to come. Some countries will resort to recruiting health personnel from other countries which are then drained of the health personnel they themselves need. Solidarity with other nations in long-term planning and distribution of global health personnel resources will be essential.

Chapter 8 sheds light on ethnic Norwegians as a migrants and emigrants, and also as immigrants in another country; Norwegians in Spain. Who are they, what needs do they have for health and welfare services, and what expectations do they have of the Norwegian authorities? How do they relate to the society they live in? This chapter raises issues and challenges.

To download the report :
http://www.helsedirektoratet.no/vp/multimedia/archive/00133/Migration_and_healt_133289a.PDF

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