Turkish Immigrants’ Perceptions of the Polish Healthcare System

Abstract

The experiences of migrants and refugees within the healthcare system play an important role in ensuring mutual adaptation. The questions we address focus on accessibility to healthcare, lack of trust and communication, and the social adaptation of Turkish immigrants in Poland . Turkish immigrants hold significant importance in the immigrant population of Poland, both from historical and socioeconomic-cultural perspectives. The Polish healthcare system has recently faced serious due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic and the influx of refugees. As the Turkish immigrant population expands in Poland, the importance of the position of increases, as it shapes healthcare relations among both Turkish immigrants and the general Polish population. With this research, we aim to understand the health experiences of migrants and the factors affecting these experiences, focusing on the relationship between the health system in Poland and its migrants. Our data was collected through interviews with 11 Turkish immigrants from Warsaw, Poznań, Toruń, Wrocław, and Bydgoszcz, along with participant observation in Poland. The findings point to the complex interplay of challenges and opportunities in migrants' healthcare experiences in Poland. Our data suggest that the healthcare system is one of the areas in which migrants are vulnerable in the host country, and states should focus on it to support the adaptation process.