Sociologickę èasopis / Czech Sociological Review 2014, 50(6): 897-918 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2014.50.6.147

Medical Travels of Polish Female Migrants in Europe

Izabella Main
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań

The article discusses the medical travel (medical tourism) of Polish women migrants based on a study conducted between 2008 and 2011 on Polish women who migrated to London, Barcelona, and Berlin. The author argues that the principal reasons for medical travel to Poland are the lower costs of private treatment, the relatively easy access to specialised health care, and personal comfort derived from linguistic and cultural competency. The women in the study who travelled to Poland for medical treatment combined the economic resources acquired while living abroad with their knowledge of the cultural and medical system in Poland to choose the best options for them. The treatments they sought included gynaecological, dental, and other specialised treatments, for which they turned to the private health sector in Poland. Some of the women also sought treatment in other countries. The women in the study highlighted the advantages of medical travel and mobility while also reflected on the dilemmas they faced in choosing the best care. The author argues that medical travel poses a challenge to the national borders of health-care systems and the national availability of medical procedures, and found that while such mobility generates inequalities it also leads to greater agency and creativeness on the part of patients when they challenge the given regulations, authority, and expert knowledge in one country.

Keywords: medical travels, migration, health-care systems, cross-border health care, Poland

Published: December 1, 2014  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Main, I. (2014). Medical Travels of Polish Female Migrants in Europe. Sociologickę èasopis / Czech Sociological Review, 50(6), 897-918. doi: 10.13060/00380288.2014.50.6.147
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Ackerman, S. 2010. 'Plastic Paradise: Transforming Bodies and Selves in Costa Rica's Cosmetic Surgery Tourism Industry.' Medical Anthropology: Cross-cultural Studies in Health and Illness 29 (4): 403-423, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2010.501316. Go to original source...
    2. Aull Davies, C. 1999. Reflexive Ethnography: A Guide to Researching Selves and Others. London: Routledge.
    3. Boulhol, H., A. Sowa, S. Golinowska and P. Sicari. 2012. 'Improving the Health-care System in Poland.' OECD Economics Department Working Papers 957. Paris: OECD Publishing, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k9b7bn5qzvd-en. Go to original source...
    4. Burawoy, M. and K. Verdery. 1999. 'Introduction.' Pp. 1-18 in Uncertain Transition: Ethnographies of Change in the Postsocialist World, edited by M. Burawoy and K. Verdery. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
    5. Buzinde, C. N. and C. Yarnal. 2012. 'Therapeutic Landscapes and Postcolonial Theory: A Theoretical Approach to Medical Tourism.' Social Science & Medicine 74 (5): 783-787, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.11.016. Go to original source...
    6. Carling, J., M. Bivand Erdal and R. Ezzati. 2013. 'Beyond the Insider-Outsider Divide in Migration Research.' Migration Studies 2 (1): 36-54, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnt022. Go to original source...
    7. Carrera, P. and J. Bridges. 2006. 'Globalization and Healthcare: Understanding Health and Medical Travel.' Expert Review Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 6 (4): 447-454, http://dx.doi.org/10.1586/14737167.6.4.447. Go to original source...
    8. Connell, J. 2011. Medical Tourism. Wallingford: CABI, http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/9781845936600.0000. Go to original source...
    9. Eissler, L. A. and J. Casken. 2013. 'Seeking Health Care Through International Medical Tourism.' Journal of Nursing Scholarship 45 (2): 177-184, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12014. Go to original source...
    10. Eurobarometer. 2010. Special Eurobarometer 327: Patient Safety and Quality of Health Care. Retrieved 8 December 2014 (http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_327_en.pdf).
    11. Glorius, B., I. Grabowska-Lusinska and A. Kuvik. 2013. 'Introduction.' Pp. 7-17 in Mobility in Transition: Migration Patterns after EU Enlargement, edited by B. Glorius, I. Grabowska-Lusinska and A. Kuvik. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Go to original source...
    12. Goodwin, R., E. Polek and K. Goodwin. 2013. 'Perceived Changes in Health and Interactions with "the Paracetamol Force": A Multimethod Study.' Journal of Mixed Methods Research 7 (2): 152-172, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1558689812463782. Go to original source...
    13. Grabowska-Lusińska, I. and M. Okólski. 2009. Emigracja ostatnia? (The Last Migration) Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.
    14. Greer, S. L., T. K. Hervey, J. P. Mackenbach and M. McKee. 2013. 'Health Law and Policy in the European Union.' Lancet 381 (9872): 1135-1144, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62083-2. Go to original source...
    15. Helble, M. 2011. 'The Movement of Patients across Borders: Challenges and Opportunities for Public Health.' Bulletin World Health Organization 89 (1): 68-72, http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.10.076612. Go to original source...
    16. Kangas, B. 2007. 'Hope from Abroad in the International Medical Travel of Yemeni Patients.' Anthropology & Medicine 14 (3): 293-305, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13648470701612646. Go to original source...
    17. Kravitz, A. S. and E. T. Treasure. 2009. Manual of Dental Practice. Version 4.1 (2009). Cardiff: The Council of European Dentists.
    18. Lee, J. Y., R. A. Kearns and W. Friesen. 2010. 'Seeking Affective Healthcare: Korean Immigrants' Use of Homeland Medical Services." Health & Place 16 (1): 108-115, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2009.09.003. Go to original source...
    19. Legido-Quigley, H., M. McKee, E. Nolte and I. A. Glinos. 2008. Assuring the Quality of Health Care in the European Union. A Case for Action. Brussels: The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.
    20. Main, I. 2014. 'High Mobility of Polish Women: The Ethnographic Inquiry of Barcelona.' International Migration 52 (1): 130-145, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/imig.12119. Go to original source...
    21. Migge, B. and M. Gilmartin. 2011. 'Migrants and Healthcare: Investigating Patient Mobility among Migrants in Ireland.' Health & Place 17 (5): 1144-1149, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2011.05.002. Go to original source...
    22. Milstein, A. and M. Smith. 2006. 'America's New Refugees-Seeking Affordable Surgery Offshore.' New England Journal of Medicine 355 (16): 1637-1640, http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp068190. Go to original source...
    23. Pracodawcy Medycyny Prywatnej [Private Medical Employers]. 2013. 'Legislacja w ochronie zdrowia.' (Legislation to Protect Health) Retrieved 23 January 2014 (http://www.medycynaprywatna.pl/legislacja-w-ochronie-zdrowia-stan-obecny).
    24. Puls Medycyny. 2013. 'Lekarz-zawód bez zaufania?' (Doctors-A Profession without Trust) Retrieved 10 January 2014 (http://pulsmedycyny.pl/3220713,91825,lekarz-zawod-bez-zaufania).
    25. Radkowska-Walkiewicz, M. 2013. Do¶wiadczenie in vitro: niepłodno¶æ i nowe technologie reprodukcyjne w perspektywie antropologicznej. (The In Vitro Experience: Infertility and New Assisted Reproduction Technologies in a Perspective of Anthropology) Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warszawkiego. Go to original source...
    26. Rechel, B., P. Mladovsky, W. Devillé, B. Rijks, R. Petrova-Benedict and M. McKee. (eds.) 2011. Migration and Health in the European Union. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
    27. Sagan, A., D. Panteli, W. Borkowski, M. Dmowski, F. Domański, M. Czyżewski, P. Goryński, D. Karpacka, E. Kiersztyn, I. Kowalska, M. Ksiêżak, K. Kuszewski, A. Le¶niewska, I. Lipska, R. Maci±g, J. Madowicz, A. M±dra, M. Marek, A. Mokrzycka, D. Poznański, A. Sobczak, C. Sowada, M. Šwiderek, A. Terka, P. Trzeciak, K. Wiktorzak, C. Włodarczyk, B. Wojtyniak, I. Wrze¶niewska-Wal, D. Zelwiańska and R. Busse et al. 2011. 'Poland: Health System Review.' Health Systems in Transition 13 (8): 1-193.
    28. Salganicoff, A., U. Ranji and R. Wyn. 2005. Women and Health Care: A National Profile. Key Findings from Kaiser Women's Health Survey. Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved 8 December 2014 (http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/women-and-health-care-a-national-profile-key-findingsfrom-the-kaiser-women-s-health-survey.pdf).
    29. Sethna, C. and M. Doull. 2012. 'Accidental Tourists: Canadian Women, Abortion Tourism and Travel.' Women's Studies 41 (4): 457-475, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00497878.2012.663260. Go to original source...
    30. Smith Nielson, S., S. Yazici, S. Gronwald Petersen, A. L. Blaakilde and A. Krasnik. 2012. 'Use of Cross-border Healthcare Services among Ethnic Danes, Turkish Immigrants and Turkish Descendants in Denmark: A Combined Survey and Registry Study.' BMC Health Services Research 12: 390, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-12-390. Go to original source...
    31. Sobo, E. J. 2009. 'Medical Travel: What It Means, Why It Matters.' Medical Anthropology: Cross-cultural Studies in Health and Illness 28 (4): 326-335, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01459740903303894. Go to original source...
    32. Solé-Auró, A. and E. M. Crimmins. 2008. 'Health of Immigrants in European Countries.' Working Papers 2008/09. Research Institute of Applied Economics. Working Paper 2008/09. Retrieved 8 December 2014 (http://www.ub.edu/irea/working_papers/2008/200809.pdf).
    33. Speier, A. R. 2011. 'Health Tourism in a Czech Health Spa.' Anthropology & Medicine 18 (1): 55-66, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13648470.2010.525879. Go to original source...
    34. Stan, S. 2014. 'Transnational Healthcare Practices of Romanian Migrants in Ireland: Inequalities of Access and the Privatisation of Healthcare Services in Europe.' Social Science & Medicine. Retrieved 10 December 2014 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24797693) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.04.013. Go to original source...
    35. Staniszkis, J. 2005. Postkomunizm. Próba opisu. (Postcommunism: Am Attempt at an Explanation) Gdańsk: słowo/obraz terytoria.
    36. Swidler, A. 1986. 'Culture in Action: Symbols and Strategies.' American Sociological Review 51 (2): 273-286, http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2095521. Go to original source...
    37. Szetela, P. n.d. 'Coraz wiêcej niepublicznych szpitali.' (An Increasing Number of Nonpublic Hospitals) Retrieved 20 December 2013 (http://www.nowoczesna-klinika.pl/pl/artykuly/17/Analizy_Raporty/1/253/Coraz_wiecej_niepublicznych_szpitali, ac).
    38. Sztompka, P. 2003. Trust. A Sociological Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    39. Van Balen, F. and M. C. Inhorn. 2002. 'Introduction. Interpreting Infertility: A View from the Social Sciences.' Pp. 3-32 in Infertility around the Globe. New Thinking on Childlessness, Gender, and Reproductive Technologies, edited by M. C. Inhorn and F. van Balen. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
    40. Van Hoof, W. and G. Pennings. 2012. 'Extraterritorial Laws for Cross-border Reproductive Care: The Issue of Legal Diversity.' European Journal of Health Law 19 (2): 187-200, http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157180912X628226. Go to original source...
    41. Wallace, S. P., C. Mendez-Luck and X. Castaneda. 2009. 'Heading South: Why Mexican Immigrants in California Seek Health Services in Mexico.' Medical Care 47 (6): 662-669, http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0b013e318190cc95. Go to original source...
    42. Wcisło, A. 2012. 'Turystyka medyczna.' (Medical Tourism) Retrieved 20 December 2013 (http://izp.cm-uj.krakow.pl/izp_files/20121004_wcisoa_turystykamedycznawpolsc_154708.pdf).
    43. Whittaker, A., L. Manderson and E. Cartwright. 2010. 'Patients without Borders: Understanding Medical Travel.' Medical Anthropology: Cross-cultural Studies in Health and Illness 29 (4): 336-343, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2010.501318. Go to original source...
    44. Whittaker, A. and A. Speier. 2010. '"Cycling Overseas": Care, Commodification and Stratification in Cross-border Reproductive Travel.' Medical Anthropology: Cross-cultural Studies in Health and Illness 29 (4): 363-383, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2010.501313. Go to original source...
    45. Wiadomosci. 2014. 'Ksi±ża, dziennikarze, lekarze … Komu ufaj± Polacy.' (Priests, Journalists, Doctors. Who Do Poles Trust) Retrieved 2 January 2014 (http://m.wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,117915,13807182,Ksieza__dziennikarze__policjanci__Komu_ufaja_Polacy_.html?order=najnowsze).

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content