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Migrants often have issues accessing healthcare services in their new homes due to affordability but this is not the case for migrants in Dominica, where there is a long history of universal access to primary healthcare through a system of community health clinics. If you are ill, you will not be turned away when seeking primary health services.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll our services are free and by all our services, I mean, immunization maternal and child health care, diabetic care, you can get diabetic retinopathy done, you can get screening for cancers, the normal NCD checks, \u201d says Dr. Lynora Fevrier- Drigo; the director of Primary Healthcare Services in Dominica. \u201cIf you’re an asthmatic, if you have COPD or any heart condition and you come from one of our health centres, no matter which country you’re from, you will not be turned away,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
Some of the most vulnerable are often new migrants who may be unable to pay for healthcare due to cost and lack of resources. They often face discrimination, are denied access due to their immigration status, or they simply cannot afford it. According to Dr. Drigo, immunization, maternal and child care, and more are free and accessible to everyone, including migrants.<\/p>\n
A 2022 report by the World Heath Organization [WHO], demonstrates that migrants are not inherently less healthy than host populations. However various other health determinants, \u201csuch as education, income, housing, access to services, compounded by linguistic, cultural, legal and other barriers\u201d and their complex interactions tend to result in sub-optimal health outcomes.<\/p>\n
The healthcare system in Dominica allows migrants to access healthcare at any of the forty-nine Health and Wellness Centres on the island and sometimes in their own language.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the foundational pillars of primary health care is accessibility. It has to be accessible, and equitable to all\u201d, notes Dr. Drigo.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are living in Dominica and you’re sick, it will mean that you cannot be productive and you cannot add to our GDP. But if we can take care of you, we will make you a productive member of society so that you can incorporate yourself in a job,\u201d indicates Dr. Drigo.<\/p>\n
As countries in the Caribbean and around the world consider their progress towards achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dominica can be proud of its strides in ensuring that everyone can have access to primary health services, contributing to good health and well-being, with a healthy population working for the sustainable development of Dominica.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Migrants often have issues accessing healthcare services in their new homes due to affordability but this is not the case for migrants in Dominica, where there is a long history of universal access to primary healthcare through a system of…","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":305410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,77,235,313,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-305381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-homepage","category-homepage-carousel","category-immigration","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n