[The parliamentary debate on immigration and health in Spain].

OBJECTIVE Describing and analysing the Spanish Parliamentary debate on immigration and health. METHODS A systematic search regarding parliamentary initiatives (PI) on immigration and immigration and health was conducted from the beginning of the Spanish democratic period (1979 to 2007). A protocol for collecting information was used to identify the parliamentary debate's main characteristics and the main topics related to PI concerning immigration and health. The PI immigration rate was calculated regarding the total rate of PI about the immigrant population based on the Spanish population per year. RESULTS 4,022 PI concerning "immigration" were identified. The main content concerned statistical information about the immigrant population (57.2 %). 116 PI about "immigration and health" were analysed. The most frequently recurring topics were health-care strategies (25 %), health-service access (24.1 %) and epidemiological information (19.8 %). Most PI concerned questions related to the function of government control (94 %). No decisions were taken in 113 PI (97.4 %). Immigrant population rates increased per year; however, notable changes in PI regarding immigration were not observed until 1996 and PI about immigration and health until 1999. CONCLUSION The immigration and health debate on the parliamentary agenda is heterogeneous. It would seem necessary to increase parliamentary debate about strategies and action for promoting immigrant-based needs in health.