The health professional-sub-Saharan migrant relationship in the network of primary healthcare facilities in Morocco: “Case prefecture of Meknes”

Abstract

Given its geographical position, Morocco has become a crossroad of migratory flows for sub-Saharan migrants. This recent phenomenon has taken several forms over the last decade. Among others, certain migrants take the risk in difficult conditions and find themselves at the end of their African trajectory, stopped in the north of the continent due to restrictive measures taken by the European Union. Most of them are forced to stay in Morocco, where these sub-Saharan migrants face all sorts of health precariousness and difficulties in accessing healthcare, as well as subhuman conditions of social and family isolation, and economic and administrative vulnerability. The study aims to take a sociological look at the specific context of the health of sub-Saharan migrants, which aims, through a quantitative and qualitative study, to analyse the relationship between health professionals and sub-Saharan migrants. The survey took place in primary healthcare facilities in the prefecture of Meknes. The results obtained reveal that despite the efforts made by the Moroccan Ministry of Health to facilitate migrants’ access to health services, the “cultural diversity” dimension in the field of health has remained a hindrance. This is evident in the misunderstanding between the health professional and the Sub-Saharan migrants, which has influenced the quality of healthcare delivery in that it has sometimes put the health professional in “cultural shocks” on the one hand, and the Sub-Saharan migrants in difficulties to easily benefit from culturally congruent healthcare on the other hand. This said, health professionals need training on the cultural diversity of Sub-Saharan communities to ensure culturally sensitive and competent transcultural healthcare.