Ethnography of the socio-sanitary reception in Rome. How are HIV/AIDS and hepatitis b involved in creating the construction of legal categories assigned to migrants?
(2021) In International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care 17(2). p.142-154- Abstract
Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the role that Italian third sector organizations have in the process of social and administrative categorization of newly arrived migrants living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/Aids) or hepatitis b. In Italy, free access to health is provided to all migrants and residence permits for medical treatment is granted for migrants living with a “serious illness” since the 1990s. The case of HIV/Aids and hepatitis b shows how this political openness, however, clashes with the tightening of migration policies. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on ethnographic research conducted between 2014 and 2016 within an associative centre that deals with the... (More)
Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the role that Italian third sector organizations have in the process of social and administrative categorization of newly arrived migrants living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/Aids) or hepatitis b. In Italy, free access to health is provided to all migrants and residence permits for medical treatment is granted for migrants living with a “serious illness” since the 1990s. The case of HIV/Aids and hepatitis b shows how this political openness, however, clashes with the tightening of migration policies. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on ethnographic research conducted between 2014 and 2016 within an associative centre that deals with the socio-health care of newly arrived migrants in Rome. In addition to the participant observations, the study is based in semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 health-care providers (nurses, health-care assistants and socio-cultural mediators) and doctors and with 22 migrants coming from Sub-Saharan Africa and living with HIV/AIDS (10) and hepatitis b (12). Findings: In Italy, the two infections have been identified as top diseases among migrant populations in the country but if HIV/Aids is always considered as a “serious illness”, hepatitis b is considered as a public health priority only in the case of a treatment prescription. These aspects have an important impact on the interactions between medical and social professionals and migrants affected by HIV/AIDS and hepatitis b, contributing differently to the creation of legal categories assigned to migrants. Originality/value: The case of HIV/Aids and hepatitis b shows how the political openness of the public health system, clashes with the tightening of migration policies and analyse the role of the third sector has in this issue.
(Less)
- author
- Santilli, Cecilia LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021-03-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Access to health care, Civil society, Hepatitis b, HIV, Italy, Migrants, Third sector
- in
- International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care
- volume
- 17
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 13 pages
- publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85102209591
- ISSN
- 1747-9894
- DOI
- 10.1108/IJMHSC-07-2019-0061
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- d3a3a554-0a57-4748-978d-9aa6a983b1f3
- date added to LUP
- 2021-03-18 10:41:33
- date last changed
- 2022-04-27 00:53:51
@article{d3a3a554-0a57-4748-978d-9aa6a983b1f3,
abstract = {{<p>Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the role that Italian third sector organizations have in the process of social and administrative categorization of newly arrived migrants living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/Aids) or hepatitis b. In Italy, free access to health is provided to all migrants and residence permits for medical treatment is granted for migrants living with a “serious illness” since the 1990s. The case of HIV/Aids and hepatitis b shows how this political openness, however, clashes with the tightening of migration policies. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on ethnographic research conducted between 2014 and 2016 within an associative centre that deals with the socio-health care of newly arrived migrants in Rome. In addition to the participant observations, the study is based in semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 health-care providers (nurses, health-care assistants and socio-cultural mediators) and doctors and with 22 migrants coming from Sub-Saharan Africa and living with HIV/AIDS (10) and hepatitis b (12). Findings: In Italy, the two infections have been identified as top diseases among migrant populations in the country but if HIV/Aids is always considered as a “serious illness”, hepatitis b is considered as a public health priority only in the case of a treatment prescription. These aspects have an important impact on the interactions between medical and social professionals and migrants affected by HIV/AIDS and hepatitis b, contributing differently to the creation of legal categories assigned to migrants. Originality/value: The case of HIV/Aids and hepatitis b shows how the political openness of the public health system, clashes with the tightening of migration policies and analyse the role of the third sector has in this issue.</p>}},
author = {{Santilli, Cecilia}},
issn = {{1747-9894}},
keywords = {{Access to health care; Civil society; Hepatitis b; HIV; Italy; Migrants; Third sector}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{03}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{142--154}},
publisher = {{Emerald Group Publishing Limited}},
series = {{International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care}},
title = {{Ethnography of the socio-sanitary reception in Rome. How are HIV/AIDS and hepatitis b involved in creating the construction of legal categories assigned to migrants?}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-07-2019-0061}},
doi = {{10.1108/IJMHSC-07-2019-0061}},
volume = {{17}},
year = {{2021}},
}