Fears New Zealand's Arab refugees may be falling through the cracks of the country's health system has sparked research led by the University of Otago.
Research from overseas suggests refugees face difficulties in accessing appropriate healthcare in their host countries. Photo: 123rf
University pharmacy lecturer Dr Mudassir Anwar is leading research which examines whether primary health services are meeting the needs of recent refugees from Arab countries.
His co-investigator, Dr Denise Taylor, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington, will oversee the Wellington arm of the project and the pair will work alongside researchers to develop relationships with Wellington and Dunedin's recent Arab refugee communities.
Those refugees hail from countries including Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Anwar said similar research from overseas suggested refugees faced difficulties in accessing appropriate healthcare in their host countries.
"Take for example our closest neighbour, Australia," he said.
"The refugee communities in Australia are consistently recognised as an under-served population with higher rates of mental health and infectious diseases."
There was suspicion New Zealand's refugees faced similar issues, but the extent of the problem could only be speculated on until the research was carried out.
"We can't say anything with any surety until we do some digging through this study. But we assume refugees in New Zealand might be facing similar issues," Anwar said.
Anwar, a registered pharmacist in Pakistan, had previously worked in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, and his experience in those countries sparked his interest in the topic.
Arabic speakers would assist the six month long study.
"We'll be using our current relationships with local Imam and Mosque leaders in each site. We will also be employing young Arabic-speaking researchers, who want to develop their research expertise, thus supporting health service research capability, within diverse communities," Anwar said.
Evidence suggested using ethnic congruent researchers improved research and provided results with greater relevance to health questions.
"We are particularly interested in participants sharing their experiences of accessing services, including community pharmacies, and how community pharmacists can support their health needs.
"This will enable identification of areas where access to primary health care services is working well, and others where more clarity or work is needed to ensure equitable access."
New Zealand recently increased its refugee quota from 1000 per year to 1500 per year, with Dunedin being added to the traditional resettlement cities of Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Palmerston North, and Nelson.
Since 2016, more people fleeing conflict in Syria, Palestine, and Iraq arrived in New Zealand and although the country had a well-designed refugee resettlement program with initial health screening and access to funded health care, data on the experience of refugees with the health care system was scarce, Anwar said.
"This study will provide preliminary data for future research. We are keen to work with these Dunedin and Wellington Arab refugee communities to establish their primary health care needs.
"We want to know how these needs are currently being fulfilled, what barriers they have experienced in accessing health care, and also what traditional treatments or services these communities use or no longer have access to."