A refugee mother’s perspective: Healthcare satisfaction and access to health services as an immigrant in Turkiye

OBJECTIVE: The civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011 caused 3.7 million Syrians to migrate to Turkiye. Being particularly vulnerable women refugees may experience problems with access to healthcare services. This study aimed to determine the health problems of refugees in Ankara, their access to and use of these services. METHODS: Healthcare-related levels of refugee mothers were assessed using a questionnaire and the study was conducted with the participation of 310 refugee mothers who presented to the Refugee Health Center, between 15 September 2017 and 15 December 2018. RESULTS: Among the participants, 28.4% were minors who were between the ages of 15 and 18 years. The mean age of the mothers was 31.18±13.84 years, while the mean age of the fathers was 32.37±10.76 years. During their residence in Ankara, the participants preferred Refugee Health Centers (94%) and State Hospitals (83%) for healthcare. Of the participants, 42.1% stated that one or more family members had health problems, which necessitated regular hospital visits. In this study, 95.2% of participants stated that they were satisfied with the healthcare services they were receiving. CONCLUSION: Although state hospitals were frequently used, refugees were also able to find solutions to their health problems through Refugee Health Centers. Nevertheless, while using other healthcare institutions, the biggest issue for the refugees was the language barrier. The high rates of adolescent pregnancy, disabilities, and chronic diseases were found to be among the main health problems of refugees. Women refugees seemed disadvantaged in education, language, income and employment.