Health care system accommodation of forcibly displaced migrants in Poland - challenges and adaptations - Abstract

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia displaced one million people to Poland, making the health care system a key point of contact for refugees. Semi-structured interviews (Oct–Dec 2024) with 72 participants explored how patients navigate care, and which facilitators and barriers shape that experience. Findings include communication ease, medical record availability, system differences, health care pressures, resilience effects, and resulting adaptations. Recommendations target improved access, ongoing refugee health assessment, local and national procedures with regular reassessment, and strong intergovernmental and health-sector collaboration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Aims

Methods

Results

Conclusions and implications

vi90 European Journal of Public Health, Vol. 35, Supplement 6, 2025 Abstract citation ID: ckaf180.248 444 Health care system accommodation of forcibly displaced migrants in Poland-challenges and adaptations Iwona Bielska1,2, Estera Wieczorek1, Natalia Petka1, Konrad PeR dziwiatr3, Michał Wanke3,4, Maciej Płaszewski5, Viktoriia Hurochkina6,7, Viktoriia Yanovska8,9, Svitlana Luchik-Musiyezdova3, Iwona Kowalska-Bobko1 1Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland 2McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada 2nd World Congress on Migration, Ethnicity, Race & Health Abstract Book vi91 3Krakow University of Economics, Krakow, Poland 4University of Opole, Opole, Poland 5Jzef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland 6University of Zielona Gra, Zielona Gra, Poland 7Kyiv Institute of Business and Technology, Kyiv, Ukraine 8State University of Infrastructure and Technologies, Kyiv, Ukraine 9SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warszawa, Poland PTH 3: Mental Health and Refugees 1, B307 (FCSH), September 3, 2025, 17:00-17:54 Aims: The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia led to one million individuals being forcibly displaced to Poland. The health care system represents an important place of contact with the refugee population. As such, it is critical to understand how these patients navigate through the health system and what facilitators and barriers are experienced throughout this process. Methods: To address this, semi-structured interviews were conducted between October and December of 2024 . Our purposivesample included 72 participants from nine large and small cities across Poland, including 30 refugees, 26 individuals in management roles (system planners, health care sector officials, leads in governmental and non-governmental organizations), and 16 individuals working in frontline roles (health care professionals, officers in governmental and non-governmental settings), representing different system areas and varied roles in the humanitarian crisis response. We analyzed the interviews in the context of the facilitators and barriers to accessing the health care system, as well as the system challenges and resulting adaptations from the perspectives of healthcare professionals and system planners. Results: During the presentation, we will shed light on the main facilitators to accessing care that were identified by the participants. Nonetheless, barriers also persisted, including the ease of communication, the availability of medical records, and health care system differences that affected navigation through it. The participants described health care system pressures, which impacted its resilience, and the resulting adaptations. Conclusions: Our research highlights areas of focus for improving access to care and alleviating the barriers. Implications for health system planners are suggested, such as the need for the continued assessment of the health status of refugees from Ukraine, the establishment of procedures and policies at the local and national levels with regular re-evaluations, and strong collaboration between all levels of government and with health care professionals and nongovernmental organizations.

FAQs

What was the study aiming to understand about displaced migrants in Poland?

The study aimed to clarify how patients navigate the health care system and identify the facilitators and barriers experienced throughout that process.

How was the research conducted and who were the participants?

Semi-structured interviews were conducted between October and December 2024 with 72 participants across nine cities, including refugees, system management roles, and frontline health care professionals and related officers.

What main facilitators and barriers were reported for accessing care?

Facilitators included ease of communication and availability of medical records, while barriers persisted through communication issues, record availability problems, and health system differences affecting navigation.

What practical implications for health system planners does the research suggest?

The research recommends ongoing assessment of refugees’ health status, establishment of local and national procedures and policies with regular re-evaluations, and strong collaboration across government levels and with health care professionals and non-governmental organizations.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher