Migration, Work, and Health: Lessons Learned from a Clinical Case Series in a Northern Italy Public Hospital

Cecilia Arici, Tishad Tamhid and Stefano Porru
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Cecilia Arici: Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Occupational Health, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Tishad Tamhid: Postgraduate School of Occupational Medicine, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Stefano Porru: Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Occupational Health, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-8

Abstract: Background: Migrant workers (MWs) generally perform dangerous jobs and have reduced access to occupational health (OH) care, therefore being prone to developing occupational diseases (OD). The aim of the work is to describe a case series of MWs and report on related outcomes for OH professionals. Methods: A case series of 724 MWs, sent from January 2001 to June 2013 to a public OH unit for OD or fitness-for-work (FFW) evaluation, was entered in a dedicated database and elaborated for descriptive statistics with Microsoft Excel. Results: MWs were mostly (75%) men, with a mean age of 40. They came mainly from Morocco, Senegal, Albania, Romania, and Pakistan. Main sectors of employment were manufacturing, metal industry, services, construction. OD were found in 210 cases, main diagnoses being: Lumbar disc and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (51%), contact dermatitis (15%), allergic asthma (8%), noise-induced hearing loss (7%), tumors (3%), psychiatric disorders (2%). Moreover, 136 FFW judgements were formulated, with some limitations/restrictions expressed. Finally, a relevant prevalence of some chronic non-occupational diseases was found. Conclusions: MWs in Italy may suffer from OH inequalities. Qualified public OH professionals and occupational physicians in workplaces should have a proactive role to concretely meet MWs’ health needs.

Keywords: migrant workers; occupational diseases; health surveillance; fitness for work; clinical case series; occupational health services; Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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