Healthcare for African immigrants arriving to the Canary Islands: a descriptive study

Rodríguez Del Rosario C, Núñez Díaz S, García De Carlos P, Rodríguez Palmero I, Mahtani Mahtani V, Hernández Rodríguez MA, Marrero Rodríguez L, Orihuela Martínez C, De La Huerga Moreno S, Alonso Bilbao JL

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of health care

provided to arriving African immigrants, including primary care, hospital emergency

care, and hospital admissions.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from August 15 to

December 31, 2006. Three datasets were used. One included all primary care visits. The

second comprised all visits to hospital emergency rooms. The third covered all patients

admitted to the 5 university hospitals on Tenerife and Grand Canary islands. The first 2

datasets included the entire area of the Spanish autonomous community of the Canary

Islands.

Results: A total of 3658 primary care visits and 1122 emergency room visits were

recorded during the study period; 111 patients were hospitalized. Most primary care

visits were for a general health check-up, for trauma, or for gastrointestinal disorders.

Fever and abdominal pain were the most common reasons for emergency visits. Malaria

and dehydration or electrolyte imbalance were the reasons for most hospital admissions.

Conclusions: The boat crossings of thousands of kilometers affect the health of many

immigrants to greater or lesser degrees. Health care was managed according to the

number of patients who had to be attended, the time available, and the seriousness of

the condition.

Alonso Bilbao JL, De La Huerga Moreno S, García De Carlos P, Hernández Rodríguez MA, Mahtani Mahtani V, Marrero Rodríguez L, Núñez Díaz S, Orihuela Martínez C, Rodríguez Del Rosario C, Rodríguez Palmero I