About a third of Chinese immigrants in Portugal believe that opening hours are a limit to accessing Portuguese health services, a study by Porto-based researchers published this Monday shows.
According to a group from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) and the Center for Research in Technology and Medical Services (CINTESIS), “Language and cultural barriers may limit Chinese immigrants’ access to the healthcare system.” Portuguese.
“About a third of Chinese immigrants believe that work hours limit access to public health services, which will be associated with their long working hours,” said the findings of a study coordinated by FMUP professor and CINTESIS researcher Rui Nunez. .
The researchers analyzed the access to Portuguese healthcare services of 304 Chinese citizens.
The habits of people over the age of 18 who had lived in Portugal for at least one year were studied.
The work, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health on January 30, included completing a questionnaire in Portuguese and Chinese.
With over 26,000 people, the Chinese community in Portugal is the seventh largest foreign community in the country.
The authors of the FMUP and CINTESIS study concluded that 93% of Chinese immigrants had already sought medical care in Portugal, but more than half (54%) admitted to having traveled to their country of origin for observation or treatment of health problems.
The main problems monitored outside of Portugal were diseases of the musculoskeletal system and stomach.
“And these were mostly elderly people with low levels of education and who had lived in Portugal for a longer time,” who traveled to China for treatment for health problems, according to a summary sent by FMUP.
The researchers concluded that among the main reasons for this option were trust in medical care provided in China, the nationality of medical workers, understanding of their habits, and family support.
At the same time, almost all respondents have already resorted to the so-called “Western medicine”, but about 74% admitted that they asked relatives and friends living in China to send them traditional Chinese medicine to fight mainly colds and flu.
“In conclusion, this study shows that Chinese immigrants have access to health care in Portugal, but there is still a need to adopt health policies that increase equal access to health care for this community,” he adds.
Referring to the information sent to Luce, Ruy Nunez believes that “these results demonstrate the importance of modernizing the health system, especially the National Health Service (SNS), so that the right to health provided by the Constitution is a right that is effective and pleasing to everyone, not just the chosen ones.”
“Especially since Portugal is accepting more and more immigrants of different backgrounds, who should consider the healthcare system as a decisive factor in choosing our country to live in,” defends the professor.
Offering Chinese language courses and awareness-raising activities dedicated to national health professionals about the cultural traditions of the Chinese population living in Portugal are among the recommendations of the researchers.
Added to this is the creation of a support group of professionals with knowledge of the Chinese language and Chinese culture, as well as the creation of manuals and dossiers for professionals.
The research team included Ruy Nunez, Sandra López Aparicio, Yvone Duarte and Luisa Castro.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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