Publication year: 2011
Source: Social Science & Medicine, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 12 July 2011
Heide, Castañeda
Persons of migrant background, a highly heterogeneous group, now comprise one-fifth of the total population in Germany. However, delayed and conflicted responses to social inclusion have resulted in clear deficits in the health care system, with few serious attempts to assess migrants‟ profiles and needs. This article provides a critical review based on meta-analysis of literature indexed in MEDLINE, a qualitative review of German medical and nursing curricula, and original ethnographic data. It examines discourses and practices embedded within larger national debates on migrant integration and their specific manifestations in the health sector in order to explain the current situation…
Highlights: ► In Germany, conflicted responses to migrants’ inclusion resulted in health deficits. ► Critical review based on literature meta-analysis, curricula, and ethnographic data. ► Historical debates on integration explain current situation of unauthorized migrants. ► ‘Relative deservingness’ and ‘selective investment’are useful analytical concepts.