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15-Jan-2020
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Arch Hellen Med, 37(Supplement 1), 2020, 54-69 ORIGINAL PAPER Exclusion or integration? Third-country nationals' access to health care and employment T. Fouskas,1 G. Koulierakis,1 P. Gikopoulou,1 E. Ioannidi,1 M. Psoinos2 |
OBJECTIVE Research findings from the EU-funded programme, entitled Local Alliance for Integration (LION) on the integration of third-country nationals (TCNs) in the fields of healthcare and employment at national level in Greece.
METHOD It was conducted in Thessaloniki and focused on the experiences of 27 TCNs in the fields of healthcare and employment via 27 semi-structured interviews with TCNs and representatives of local stakeholders.
RESULTS In the above-mentioned sectors, there are the following needs: to provide information to their TCNs about their rights, on existing services, to provide information about TCNs to the local community to address and prevent prejudices. For TCNs, and for newly arrived TCNs in particular, the provision of information on their rights in a specific area and on existing services and how to access them is an important prerequisite for their integration.
CONCLUSIONS It could be concluded that providing clear and comprehensible information to TCNs on their rights and access to and participation in existing services is a prerequisite for integration into the labour market and healthcare. Contact between TCNs and nationals is vital, as it allows citizens to have positive interactions with TCNS. Integration is a two-way process and requires the efforts of the local community, stakeholders, policy makers and TCNs themselves.
Key words: Third country nationals, healthcare, employment, Greece, integration.
