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Korean Chinese Chinese advantage: a quest to promote health care access

Chinese community and access to health services: a report to say the least complex, which in many cases contributes to prejudice and mistrust in the indigenous population. On this fact the Roman Caritas wants to investigate through "action research" conducted between 2001 and 2007 at the Clinic of Via Marsala on a sample of 1,351 citizens of Chinese nationality. The research builds on the observation that from 1983 to 2001 Chinese patients who went to the Caritas Clinic were only 183 of more than 65 thousand immigrants. A fact that operators of Caritas thought nothing short of astonishing, considering that Chinese immigrants in Rome, representing approximately 3.5% of the foreign population and that in some special districts, including the Esquiline, the percentage doubles or even triples.

Research has therefore provided an initial response to poor access to medical care on the part of Chinese citizens , which concerns not only the Caritas Clinic, but in general public health services and private social services especially in relation to primary care. Among the reasons for this difficult relationship were highlighted an inadequate response of health services to the community, strong work commitment and the difficulty of requiring permits for the prevention and the protection of their health and community capacity to respond to demand through the traditional system of health of its members, who then use the health facilities only in severe cases.

Thanks to research and the constant presence of interpreters, Chinese patients of the Clinic are gradually increased. From the few units of the nineties, we have moved to 122 patients in 2002 and from there to a subsequent steady increase: 214 in 2003, 193 in 2004, 261 in 2005, 317 in 2006, until 2007 they were visited 235 new patients. Currently for new Chinese patients reached the second place after that of Romania and represents 13% of all new patients. In particular, women account for 8, 2% of people who go to the Clinic and also the influx of children is increasing. The research shows also that 39% of Chinese patients report that they have no regular employment, only 19% are over 12 years of schooling and 70% are without a residence permit. And in this regard - check the research - even patients in good standing and enrolled in the National Health System, and should therefore be visited by doctors, prefer to go to the Clinic because of the interpreting service that is offered. Among

barriers to access to basic health services patients report the first fear and mistrust , however, especially regarding irregular migrants. Other significant barriers are then language and administrative paths, which are considered too complex and lack transparency. Only the last position and with a much lower weight are reported aspects of the priority of work on health, socio-cultural and, with regard to the Caritas Clinic, religious.

Source: Social Editor