This paper aims to address the research question: How satisfied are asylum seekers with healthcare services in Israel? The question is specifically framed in a way that encourages asylum seekers’ advocacy and participation in the discussion, because previous research has too often only talked about asylum seekers’ needs and not with the asylum seekers themselves. Two interviews with an Eritrean and a Sudanese asylum seeker have shed a light on the general situation and satisfaction of asylum seekers with healthcare services in Israel. Resulting from the findings of the interviews, the study also proposes governmental action that can and should be done to address and improve the satisfaction of asylum seekers with the healthcare sector in Israel. The remainder of this paper will proceed as follows: in the next chapter, the relevant terms will be defined, followed by a literature review of existing research. Then the research design will be discussed as well as the content of the interviews and the relevant findings. After a short elaboration of the limitations, the study will be concluded.
The presence of African asylum seekers is a relatively new phenomenon in Israel. Only since 2005 people have begun to flee to the Jewish country. The majority comes from repressive regimes in Eritrea and Sudan. And it was only until 2012 that they could cross the border from Egypt to Israel, before a wall was erected that immediately stopped the migration flow. It has been almost 15 years since the arrival of the first wave of migrants, but the life of African asylum seekers still continues to be harsh in Israel. To this day, only 14 people have received official refugee status, while there are currently 35,000 asylum seekers either still waiting for their asylum procedure to be finished or they have been denied the refugee status and are only temporarily allowed to stay in the country. The legal status of asylum seekers in Israel comes essentially without any basic liberties and people face the threat of deportation on a daily basis. Asylum seekers lack access to healthcare services and usually do not have an official work permit, which forces migrants to work under illegal and exploitative conditions in order to earn their income. Furthermore, many asylum seekers have experienced torture and exploitation on their way to a safe country.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. DEFINITIONS
3. LITERATURE REVIEW
4. RESEARCH DESIGN
5. INTERVIEWS
6. RESULTS
7. LIMITATIONS
8. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the healthcare situation for asylum seekers in Israel, focusing on their access to services, levels of satisfaction, and the systemic barriers they encounter within the current legal and social framework.
- Barriers to accessing medical treatment for asylum seekers.
- Evaluation of healthcare satisfaction through qualitative interviews.
- The impact of legal status and information gaps on health outcomes.
- Analysis of the role of private insurance and public clinics.
- Policy recommendations for improving healthcare inclusion.
Excerpt from the Book
2. Definitions
It is important to differentiate between different groups of migrants living in Israel. For one, there are asylum seekers, mostly from the African continent, that are applying for asylum and are waiting to receive the refugee status. Asylum seekers are usually granted the temporary stay visa, which has to be renewed every few months for the duration of the asylum request. If the state of Israel denies asylum seekers the right of asylum, they are either deported or, if their country of origin is deemed unsafe, they are tolerated to stay in Israel however, without any access to the welfare system (ASSAF, 2018). Although the status of an asylum seeker is supposed to be temporary, the Population, Immigration and Border Authority in Israel counts 34,370 asylum seekers from Africa, mostly Eritrea and Sudan, who for the most part have been living in Israel for almost a decade (ASSAF, 2018). At the moment there are still more than 15,000 Eritrean and Sudanese asylum applications waiting to be checked (ASSAF, 2019).
The second group is refugees, which under the 1951 Geneva Convention is a protected status for people fleeing their home country because of persecution, war or violence (UNHCR, 2019). An official refugee has access to the local welfare system as well as an unlimited permit to stay in the country. Currently, in the state of Israel there are only 14 official refugees, 13 Eritreans and one Sudanese (ASSAF, 2019). This equals a recognition rate of under 0.5% of all asylum requests. Israel thus exhibits the lowest recognition rate in the Western world (Hotline, 2019).
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the historical context of asylum seekers in Israel and defines the research question regarding their satisfaction with healthcare services.
2. DEFINITIONS: Clarifies the legal distinctions between asylum seekers, refugees, and labor migrants within the Israeli social context.
3. LITERATURE REVIEW: Analyzes existing academic research on the tensions between humanitarian aid and political rights-based approaches to healthcare for migrants.
4. RESEARCH DESIGN: Describes the methodology, focusing on qualitative interviews with asylum seekers to gain personal insights into their healthcare experiences.
5. INTERVIEWS: Details the process of conducting interviews with patients at the TEREM Public Health Clinic and presents their personal experiences with healthcare access.
6. RESULTS: Synthesizes the interview findings, highlighting recurring issues such as lack of information, language barriers, and systemic legal failures.
7. LIMITATIONS: Acknowledges constraints such as the small sample size and potential gender bias, which impact the generalizability of the findings.
8. CONCLUSION: Summarizes the key insights and suggests government actions to improve healthcare inclusion and policy reform.
Keywords
Asylum seekers, Israel, Healthcare, Migration, Human rights, Public health, TEREM clinic, Refugee status, Social inclusion, Medical access, Health insurance, Labor migrants, Qualitative research, Systemic barriers, Policy reform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how satisfied asylum seekers in Israel are with the healthcare services currently available to them and identifies the primary obstacles they face.
What are the central thematic areas addressed?
The themes include the legal status of migrants, the role of humanitarian clinics, the lack of government information, and the socio-economic barriers to medical care.
What is the primary research question?
The research is guided by the question: "How satisfied are asylum seekers with healthcare services in Israel?"
Which scientific methodology was applied?
The author employed a qualitative research approach, specifically conducting semi-structured interviews with two asylum seekers at the TEREM Public Health Clinic in Tel Aviv.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The body covers the definitions of migrant status, a review of relevant literature, the research design, the analysis of interview data, and a critical discussion of the results.
How would you describe this paper using keywords?
Key terms include Asylum seekers, Israel, Healthcare, Human rights, Public health, Migration, and Policy reform.
Why are the findings from the TEREM clinic important?
They provide direct, firsthand accounts from asylum seekers themselves, countering the tendency of previous research to speak only about them rather than to them.
What specific systemic problem does the author highlight regarding employers?
The author highlights that even when Israeli law requires employers to provide private health insurance, this is often ignored or exploited, leaving asylum seekers without coverage.
What is the author's suggestion regarding the long-term inclusion of asylum seekers?
The author suggests that integrating asylum seekers into the National Health Insurance scheme is a feasible and necessary measure to ensure justice and reduce long-term costs for the state.
- Citation du texte
- Marla van Nieuwland (Auteur), 2019, Asylum Seekers and the Healthcare Sector in Israel, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/534864
