Health vulnerabilities of undocumented central and eastern European migrants in Switzerland
Loading...
Author (Corporation)
Publication date
15.04.2025
Type of student thesis
Course of study
Type
01A - Journal article
Editors
Editor (Corporation)
Supervisor
Parent work
Journal of Migration and Health
Special issue
DOI of the original publication
Link
Series
Series number
Volume
11
Issue / Number
Pages / Duration
100327
Patent number
Publisher / Publishing institution
Elsevier
Place of publication / Event location
Edition
Version
Programming language
Assignee
Practice partner / Client
Abstract
Destitute Central and Eastern European migrants, including homeless people, beggars, and sex workers, are in a highly vulnerable position in Switzerland. In the absence of residence permits, their access to health services and insurance is severely limited, and they suffer from institutional discrimination in Swiss medical facilities. The aim of this study is to examine the forms of health vulnerabilities of destitute mobile Eastern European citizens in Geneva and Zürich. To do this, we carried out narrative-biographical interviews with destitute migrants (n = 38) on their level of access to medical facilities and insurance. The results confirm that our respondents face severe vulnerabilities in accessing medical services and insurance mechanisms in Switzerland. This tendency is exemplified in the paper through the respondents' experiences of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. Destitute migrants often transfer health vulnerabilities from their home countries. They mostly receive therapies and medicines in their countries of origin but remain untreated in Switzerland after arrival. Without Swiss health insurance, they turn to medical services only in cases of emergency, and even then, they are either rejected or discharged after very brief treatments. This dangerous combination of individual and systemic health vulnerabilities greatly exacerbates the disadvantages of destitute Eastern Europeans and hampers their integration into Swiss society.
Keywords
Migration, Destitution, Central and Eastern Europe, Homelessness
Event
Exhibition start date
Exhibition end date
Conference start date
Conference end date
Date of the last check
ISBN
ISSN
2666-6235
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
Yes
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Gold
License
Citation
Temesvary, Z., Roduit, S., & Drilling, M. (2025). Health vulnerabilities of undocumented central and eastern European migrants in Switzerland. Journal of Migration and Health, 11, 100327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100327