Evaluating the Provision of Health Services and Barriers to Treatment for Chronic Diseases among Syrian Refugees in Turkey: A Review of Literature and Stakeholder Interviews

Jude Alawa, Parmida Zarei and Kaveh Khoshnood
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Jude Alawa: Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
Parmida Zarei: Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
Kaveh Khoshnood: Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Background: While Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, the provision of health services for chronic disease among Syrian refugees in Turkey has been inadequate and understudied. This paper explores Turkish healthcare policies surrounding Syrian refugees’ access to health services for chronic diseases. Methods: We conducted a literature review and supplementary stakeholder interviews to evaluate the provision of chronic health services and the most common barriers to healthcare access among Syrian refugees in Turkey. Results: Though access to treatment for displaced Syrians has improved throughout the past five years, five primary barriers persist: registration procedure regulations, navigation of a new health system, language barriers, fear of adverse treatment, and cost. Conclusions: To drive improvements in healthcare for chronic diseases among Syrian refugees in Turkey, we recommend making registration procedures more accessible, developing more healthcare options in patients’ native language, increasing human resources, and advocating for more research surrounding chronic health conditions among refugees.

Keywords: Global Health; Migrant Health; Refugee Health; Syrian Refugees; Turkey; Chronic Disease; Healthcare Access; Barriers to Care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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