Barriers, Resources and Reserves Shaping Older Migrants’ Access to Healthcare: A Research Imperative for Switzerland

Abstract

Migrants are highly exposed to unmet healthcare needs in Europe, with rates varying between countries. In Switzerland, almost 10% of non-European migrants experience unmet healthcare needs, rising to nearly 20% for specific healthcare services such as dental care. Older migrants are particularly vulnerable to these hardships. Their life course and migration pathways have led to an accumulation of adverse social determinants of health, resulting in inequalities of both health status and access to the receiving society’s healthcare system.