The role of a primary health care team in welcoming Afghan refugees
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v39i4.13559Keywords:
Afghanistan, Health services accessibility, Primary health care, Primary health team, RefugeesAbstract
Background: In 2021, Afghanistan was the 2nd country in the world with the largest refugee population after a migration crisis triggered by war and political conflicts. Several European countries, including Portugal, welcomed refugees through organized programs. Migration is a social determinant of health, generating inequities and with a negative impact. Refugee reception medicine has several particularities, requiring the intervention of trained health teams.
Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study of the health status of a group of Afghan refugees and the procedures of the primary health care team of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Administration, from November 2021 to April 2022. Description of the health procedures inherent to the refugee’s reception. Sociodemographic characterization of the group, the number and type of consultations carried out, and quantification and description of the main active problems.
Results: Forty-eight individuals from 11 families were welcomed, with a mean age of 19.7±16.5 years, including 52.1% adults and 47.9% children and adolescents. Two hundred and six medical appointments were carried out and 121 active problems were identified. Adults required more medical assistance than children and adolescents (134 vs 72 consultations, respectively) (p-value<0.05). Infections contributed to at least 47.7% of active problems in children and adolescents and 29.9% in adults. Twenty-four percent of adults reported psychopathological symptoms and of these 66.7% were diagnosed with mental pathologies. Afghan refugees adhered to the proposed contraceptive methods, screening, and vaccination programs.
Conclusions: Migration creates sociocultural and health challenges. Problems identified evidence of infectious, oral, and mental diseases. This study emphasizes the need for international guidelines on refugee reception and reinforces the importance of obtaining validated and reproducible results. Defining a multidisciplinary team and defining communication strategies was essential. Being a health professional providing assistance to refugee populations brings challenges. This study will help teams working in similar contexts in the future.
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