BACKGROUND Asylum seekers are assumed to be a vulnerable group with respect to sexual and reproductive health. The objective of this study was to quantify induced abortion and teenage birth indicators for this group. METHODS The population comprised all female asylum seekers aged 15-49 in The Netherlands between September 2004 and August 2005. Information was collected about induced abortions...

OBJECTIVE The increasing number of refugees seeking asylum in Europe in recent years poses new challenges for the healthcare systems in the destination countries. The goal of the study was to describe the evolution of medical problems of asylum seekers at a tertiary care centre in Switzerland. METHODS At the University Hospital Basel, we compared all asylum seekers during two 1-year time peri...

This paper examines the healthy immigrant effect in Glasgow, a post-industrial city where the migrant population has more than doubled in the last decade. Using data from a community survey in 15 communities across the city, the paper compares four health outcomes for the following three groups: British-born, social and economic migrants and asylum seekers and refugees. Migrants were found to b...

This article contains data concerning the movement of extra-EU asylum seekers in Europe. Data used in this paper were collected from the Eurostat database and the UNHCR database. The data consist of some socio-economic features related to 30 European countries where extra-EU asylum seekers have applied for protection. All variables were transformed into their natural logs. The degree of statist...

BACKGROUND Several suicide and suicidal behaviour risk factors are highly prevalent in asylum seekers, but there is little insight into the suicide death rate and the suicidal behaviour incidence in this population. The main objective of this study is to assess the burden of suicide and hospital-treated non-fatal suicidal behaviour in asylum seekers in the Netherlands and to identify factors th...

The article explores some of the issues surrounding access to mental health care for asylum seekers, using Belgium as a case in point. Asylum and immigration issues have become increasingly pressing in Europe, with member states seeking a common European Asylum System and establishing minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers. The EU measures have fallen short of providing and imple...

BACKGROUND Dealing with pregnancy, childbirth and the care of newborn babies is a challenge for female asylum seekers and their health care providers. The aim of our study was to identify reproductive health issues in a population of women seeking asylum in Switzerland, and to examine the care they received. The women were insured through a special Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) and were...

UNLABELLED We assessed a sample of unselected adult asylum seekers to determine their current mental health status and patterns of healthcare utilisation. METHOD We included 78 unselected adult asylum seekers after their first year of residence in the Zurich area of Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Office for Migration provided their names and addresses. The current mental health of the partici...

British Journal of General Practice, October 2009 721 REFERENCES 1. Taylor K. Asylum seekers, refugees, and the politics of access to health care: a UK perspective. Br J Gen Pract 2009; 59(567): 765–772. 2. Ashcroft RE. Standing up for the medical rights of asylum seekers. J Med Ethics 2005; 31(3): 125–126. 3. Cole P. Human rights and the national interest: migrants, healthcare and social justi...

In the last few weeks, I have begun to help out at a charitable drop-in centre for destitute asylum seekers. Some have waited for years for their asylum applications to be processed, and are not allowed to work in the mean time. Others face deportation as 'failed' asylum seekers, in spite of having suffered appalling abuse, including torture and gang rape, in countries like Sudan and the Congo....