Impacto de la crisis de las políticas y prácticas de salud en Portugal: una mirada a la salud materno-infantil y reproductiva considerando la diversidad cultural durante la Troika

Abstract

The crisis that began in 2008 and the Troika in 2011 in Portugal, broughtseveral significative changes that impacted access to health services, implyinga serious effect in the state of health of the population and an increase in healthinequalities, mainly in vulnerable populations, among them, migrant women andtheir families. This work of qualitative nature, uses as empirical data 185 interviews (to health professional, non-governmental associations and migrant and authnoctonouswomen as subjects) and participant observation. We illustrate with specificexamples barriers in accessing health services, mainly in the field of maternal-childhealth and reproductive health. These barriers are of different types: endogenousand exogenous of the National Health System as well as self-exclusion. In addition,we identify various strategies designed by actors (State, civil society and subjects) toovercome or deal with those barriers. We observed how the crisis implied an increasein all barriers: socioeconomic, ethno-cultural and communicational, affectingmore immigrant populations and their descendants. Specifically, among the mostaffected are undocumented migrant women.