Health Service Access among Indonesian Migrant Domestic Workers in Taiwan.

Shuen-Fu Weng,Yuherina Gusman,Utoomporn Wongsin,Wen-Shan Jian,Suleman Atique,Franziska Michaela Lohmeyer,Li-Fong Lin,Azis Malik,Usman Iqbal

doi:10.3390/ijerph18073759

Abstract

The number of migrant workers in Taiwan increases annually. The majority is from Indonesia and most of them are female caregivers. This study aims to determine the access to health services and the associated factors among Indonesian female domestic workers in Taiwan. In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from February to May 2019, using a structured questionnaire. Subsequently, multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between socio-demographic factors and health service access. Two hundred and eighty-four domestic migrant workers were interviewed. Eighty-five percent of the respondents declared sickness at work, but only 48.8% seek health care services. Factors associated with health service access were marital status, income, and the availability of an attendant to accompany the migrant workers to the healthcare facilities. Language barrier and time flexibility were the main obstacles. Further research and an effective health service policy are needed for the domestic migrant workers to better access health care services.

Highlights

In 2018, approximately 232 million migrant workers, representing 3.1 percent of the global population, transferred to other countries or regions to seek mostly seasonal or temporary employment [1]
Most workers had been staying in Taiwan for more than three years and 89.1% worked more than 11 h per day
Comparing our results with data published in the literature, we found that Indonesian migrant domestic workers in Taiwan had higher access to healthcare facilities than those in other countries

Summary

Introduction

In 2018, approximately 232 million migrant workers, representing 3.1 percent of the global population, transferred to other countries or regions to seek mostly seasonal or temporary employment [1]. Taiwan is one of the most popular destinations for migrant workers from South East Asian countries. As of April 2019, 706,060 migrant workers actively worked in Taiwan: 38.4% from Indonesia, 31.4% from Vietnam, 21.8% from the.

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Methods

Discussion

Conclusion