"No Papers. No Doctor": A Qualitative Study of Access to Maternity Care Services for Undocumented Immigrant Women in Denmark.

Julia Kadin Funge,Mathilde Christine Boye,Marie Nørredam,Helle Johnsen

doi:10.3390/ijerph17186503

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore undocumented immigrant women’s experiences of, as well as their access to, maternity care services during pregnancy in Denmark. Recruiting through the two branches of a non-governmental organization (NGO)-driven health clinic in Denmark, we conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with undocumented immigrant women in Denmark from January 2018 to January 2019. The undocumented immigrant women experienced barriers such as fear of deportation, concerns about payment for services, and uncertainties about rules for access. Many of them described depending on NGO-driven initiatives to access maternity care services and found these as providing a safe environment for care. Our findings contribute insights towards understanding the health behavior of undocumented immigrant women and highlight the need for inclusive care to safeguard the health of the women and their children.

Highlights

Undocumented migration is defined by the International Organization for Migration as the “movement of persons that takes place outside the laws, regulations, or international agreements governing the entry into or exit from the state of origin, transit, or destination” [1]
This study examined how undocumented pregnant women experience maternity care services during pregnancy as well as their access to public maternity care in Denmark
We found that one of the main barriers to accessing public maternity care was the fear of being reported to the migration authorities when in contact with public health care providers

Summary

Introduction

Undocumented migration is defined by the International Organization for Migration as the “movement of persons that takes place outside the laws, regulations, or international agreements governing the entry into or exit from the state of origin, transit, or destination” [1]. The pathways to undocumented migration into European countries can be roughly grouped as entry via the asylum system and eventually having the application rejected, visa-overstaying, and clandestine border crossing including trafficking [2]. It is estimated that 1.9–3.8 million undocumented immigrants are living within the borders of the EU [2]. In a Danish setting, the most recent estimate was that 22,900–28,900 undocumented immigrants are living in Denmark [4]. In Denmark, undocumented immigrants have restricted access to health care including maternity care [5]. Women with a legal residency in Denmark are entitled to maternity care services free of charge through public hospitals and state-subsidized general practitioners (see Table 1).

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion