Health, time, and space constraints: The drawn‐out story of Syrian transient itinerants seeking asylum in Greece

Abstract

AbstractThe effective provision of healthcare for asylum seekers is not only a concern for Syrians in Greece but also goes to the heart of European refugee policy. Through secondary data analysis, this article examines how underlying deficiencies in European asylum policies in Greece have translated into challenging life conditions and healthcare barriers for Syrian asylum claimants in Greece. While time and space have been two dimensions that directly constrain the lives of Syrian asylum seekers, the imbalance of care among different healthcare providers has also led to healthcare constraints. The imbalance of care arising from an abundance of uncoordinated functionaries managing the migrants’ healthcare has caused tensions and confusion in healthcare deployment. This article argues that it is more appropriate to refer to Syrian asylum seekers in Greece as Syrian transient itinerants seeking asylum. The aim of the new term is to make the invisible visible—that is, to highlight the fact that the protection of Syrian asylum seekers is not always fully guaranteed in Greece.