Authors

Mercedes de la Fuente Ramos

Position

Enfermera. Máster en Enfermería Europea. Máster en Salud Internacional. Hospital Santa Ana, Motril (Granada).

Contact address

Hospital Santa Ana. Avda. de Enrique Martín Cuevas, s/n. 18600 Motril (Granada).

Contact email: mercedesdelafuenteramos@gmail.com

Abstract

Despite being clearly regulated by the law of attention to foreigners settled in Spain, there is a myth implanted in the Spanish­ population accusing immigrants to make an abusive use of health services causing a significant overload thereof, and making immigrants responsible for the delay in assisting the rest of the native population.
However, studies conducted­ show that the profile of the immigrant who comes to Spain is a young person who has a good health and leaves their home country seeking to improve living conditions, both their own and those of their family, which means that only the strongest individuals in each community, are those who are able to migrate. Therefore, as happens in other countries, it stands to reason that the immigrant population in Spain uses health services less frequently than the native population. With the information that is provided in this article we aim to make the general population aware of the  wrongness of their approach to the assumption that immigrants are responsible for the decline in the quality of health care, introducing legislation that protects them in the use of these services.

Keywords:

Immigrant population; inmigration; quality of careright to health care

Versión en Español

Título:

El uso de los servicios sanitarios por parte de los colectivos inmigrantes