A future for the NHS? Health care in the 1990s

Abstract

This paper investigates the healthcare needs, access to healthcare, and healthcare strategies of Ethiopian migrant domestic workers (MDWs) in Lebanon, drawing on qualitative empirical research. The analysis focusses on four types of health care needs: minor illnesses, pregnancies, serious illnesses (such as cancer, tuberculosis or heart problems), and emergencies (due to accidents, suicide attempts or assaults). Predictably, access to healthcare is distinctly differentiated according to an MDW's status as a documented, freelancer, or undocumented worker. Drawing on the concepts of systemic health inequities and inter-personal racial discrimination, the paper provides evidence for inequitable access to healthcare experienced by Ethiopian women in Lebanon. I identify the specific forms of exclusion they experience and develop a matrix for analysis of systemic inequities in access to healthcare differentiated by migrant status.