Catering for migrants with health problems

Immigrants with mental health problems need services that cater for their specific needs and cultures, according to Dolores Gauci, who heads the Richmond Foundation.

A recent study that looked into immigrants’ access to health care in Malta showed that 70 per cent believed they had mental health problems. It highlighted the need for access to mental health care for those who suffered hardships.

Ms Gauci, chief executive officer of the NGO that provides community mental health services, said one had to interpret the figures cautiously. “You have to distinguish between being in a state of poor mental well-being and having a mental health illness that requires therapy,” she said.

It was understandable that people who leave their country and family and travel in awful conditions to flee persecution would be in a poor mental state but that did not mean they were mentally ill. “Being sad is not the same thing as being depressed, for example,” she said.

The foundation recently had two immigrants referred to it from Mount Carmel Hospital. They were accepted but the reality was they entered a setting that was designed for locals. For example, group sessions were in Maltese. “We need a service that is particularly sensitive to their needs and their culture,” she said.

The health care access report referred to lack of clear legislation on who was entitled to free health care. This was seen as one of the main stumbling blocks to health care access for immigrants.

However, a Health Ministry spokesman said there were no plans to revise the law. When it came to mental health, immigrants were entitled to services available to all Maltese nationals that were mainly offered at Mount Carmel Hospital, the spokesman said.

According to the report, entitled Access To Health Care And Living Conditions Of Asylum Seekers And Undocumented Migrants, about 70 per cent had encountered some difficulty in accessing health care. The most common obstacles were long waiting lists, discrimination, language barriers and lack of information about the availability of health care.

One in every four immigrants was refused health care treatment at some point during their stay on the island.

Reacting to this, the ministry spokesman said: “At primary care level there is a set up called the Migrant Health Unit, which specifically caters for the needs of these people. The government never refuses emergency treatment to anyone, irrespective of their status. Consultants may specifically request permission for specialised treatment to be given.”

The Primary Health Department had taken the initiative to train 27 migrants as cultural mediators. Five of them were recruited within primary health and another four were based at Mater Dei Hospital. Their role is to facilitate access to health care services and the consultation process in case of language problems. Since last April, about 2,000 interventions were carried out in primary health.

Information booklets for im­migrants were published and translated into various languages.