Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Bonnlaender, D.
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN THE BIGGEST EUROPEAN REFUGEE CAMP
KARA TEPE II ON LESVOS
Humanmedizin; [ Diplomarbeit ] Medizinische Universität Graz; 2023. pp. 74
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Freidl Wolfgang
- Altmetrics:
- Abstract:
- Background As Universal Health Coverage is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of 2015 that aims to be reached by 2030, Primary Health Care is regarded as fundamental to improve peoples health. This study is about required and offered health care in refugee camps. It took as an example Europe's biggest refugee camp Kara Tepe II on Lesvos and aims to answer three questions: First of all this study wants to find out the required health care by analysing the most common consultation reasons. Second it wants to compare the required health care to the offered health care programs in the camp. And third it wants to find out the reasons that were influencing the required health care. Methods During a period of four weeks in spring 2021, an ad-hoc random sample took place in the Primary Care Clinic of the refugee camp Kara Tepe II. Therefore pseudonymised data (gender, age, nationality and cause of consultation) of all patients in this time (2682 cases of consultation) was recorded, coded in the International Classification of Primary Care and interpreted. Results The most common categories of consultations in total were digestive symptoms with 20,7%, musculoskeletal complaints with 16,3%, skin symptoms with 14,8%, respiratory symptoms with 7,9% and neurological problems with 6,2%. In female patients abdominal pain epigastric, back symptom/complaint and abdominal pain general were the most common reasons to consult medical help. In the male patients it was abdominal pain epigastric, tooth/gum symptom/complaint and headache. The youngest patients (0 to 5 years old) suffered mainly from fever, followed by tooth/gum symptom/complaint in the group of age between 6 to 10 years old. In all patients between 11 to 50 years, abdominal pain epigastric was the most common reason for consultation. Between 51 and 60 years, patients suffered mostly from knee pain/complaint, between 61 and 70 years patients suffered mostly from back pain/complaint and in the group older than 70 years from shortness of breath/dyspnoea. People from Afghanistan and Somalia consulted the Primary Care Clinic mostly because of gastrointestinal complaints, musculoskeletal complaints and skin problems, while people from the DRC suffered first from gastrointestinal symptoms followed by skin problems and musculoskeletal problems. In Syrians skin diseases were worse than gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal complaints. It was similar in patients from Iraq, but on the third place it was not only musculoskeletal complaints but also general and unspecific complaints. People from other countries came mainly because of gastrointestinal symptoms, musculoskeletal and respiratory complaints. Conclusion It can be summarized that the aims of Primary Health Care were not fulfilled in an adequate way. Especially the factors education, local prevention of diseases, water and sanitation, sexual health related issues, treatment of psychological diseases and dental treatment were not guaranteed. In other aspects the aims of Primary health care generally succeeded. These aspects were expanded programs for vaccination and immunization, maternal and child health and the distribution of essential drugs. Aspects like nutrition and treatment of physical diseases were fulfilled but at a level of low quality. While the number of consultations depending on the gender or the age resulted in less noticeable differences, there were slightly differences in the nationality. People from the DRC were in a higher need of medical health care, while patient numbers in people from Afghanistan or Somalia correlated with the number of the camp inhabitants and Syrians even had a reduced need of medical help.