Free clinic utilisation by immigrants after the introduction of a restrictive health policy in the Basque Country (Spain)
Public Health 163 : 9-15 (2018)
Abstract
Objectives: Policies restricting healthcare access for immigrants were applied in times of reduced public funding for welfare in Spain. This study aimed to assess the impact of the implementation of a more restrictive health policy in the Basque Country region, Decree 114/2012, on the number of consultations attended at a free clinic, where the majority of patients are undocumented immigrants.
Study Design: Interrupted time series.
Methods: A negative binomial regression model was applied in two phases to the number of healthcare consultations during the period 2007e2017 (n ¼ 9272) to estimate the level and trend changes associated with the implementation of the policy. Data were analysed separately by sex and adjusted for consultations' seasonality and unemployment rate and the sex-specific percentage of migrant population in Biscay province as confounding factors.
Results: Different trends of attendance between men and women were observed during the whole period, constituting 76.94% and 23.06% of all consultations, respectively. After the implementation of the decree, the number of consultations for women per trimester decreased and increased for men by 1%, although it was not statistically significant in either of the trends.
Conclusions: No clear relationship between the implementation of the Basque Decree 114/2012 and an increase in the attendance of immigrants in a free clinic during the studied period was found.