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– If the border guard has any shadow of suspicion that something bad is going on with the migrant, they take him to our hospital – Dr. Tomasz Musiuk tells Medonet from the hospital in Hajnówka. Many people wonder what kind of medical care these people can count on in hospitals. We know virtually nothing about their health condition, diseases and insurance. In addition, another wave of COVID-19 is underway. Experts to whom we asked this question are straightforward.
- We hear about the dramatic circumstances in which migrants are found – taken out of the border swamps, chilled and exhausted, there are unconscious people, women in advanced pregnancy
- – If the border guard has any shadow of suspicion that something bad is going on with the migrant, they take him to our hospital – explains Dr. Tomasz Musiuk from the hospital in Hajnówka. What help can they count on?
- – Hospital care for migrants does not differ from the care for Polish patients. These people are treated in accordance with the medical art and this is our absolute duty – emphasizes Dr. Musiuł
- Some may wonder how the volunteer medics working to help migrants work. Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart from the Polish Medical Mission told about it
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage
Migrants are very tired, hungry and thirsty. There are critical states
The crisis on the 418 km Polish-Belarusian border has lasted since August. The situation is becoming more and more difficult, also for the migrants themselves, and also because the temperatures are getting lower. The media reports on the dramatic circumstances in which these people are found. There are unconscious people who are taken out of the border swamps, cooled down and physically exhausted. Among the identified groups of migrants, there are sometimes women in advanced pregnancy. There is a known case when a woman with a newborn child was found. They all need help, sometimes in a hospital.
– If the border guard has any shadow of suspicion that something wrong with the migrant may be happening, they take him to our hospital – says Medonet, Dr. the entire Hajnówka poviat, but not only). Migrants are also brought by emergency medical teams called e.g. the police or those who found them. – From mid-August to the end of September, we had a total of 23 people at the SOR. Today there are about 200 of them – in 1,5 months we admitted 180 patients, which is seven times more – says the doctor – Of course, there are days when they do not bring migrants to us, but there are also days when even a dozen or so people visit us at once. Most often this happens in the evenings and at night.
According to the doctor from Hajnówka, these people are very tired, hungry and thirsty. – There are dehydration, hypothermia, sometimes very critical. Hence, we now have patients in intensive care. There are also injuries – sprains, fractures, but also beatings or bites by dogs (fortunately, these were isolated cases, and the interview showed that they happened abroad, not with us) – says Dr. Musiuł.
What kind of help can migrants be brought to the hospital? The doctor says straight
Many people wonder what help migrants can get when brought into hospital. Nothing or very little is known about these people, insurance issues remain in question, there are difficulties in communicating with them, all of which are combined with the next wave of COVID-19.
Tomasz Musiuk dispels all doubts: – Hospital care for migrants does not differ from the care for Polish patients. We are not looking at any financial constraints or the fact that patients are not insured at all. Migrants are treated in accordance with medical art, and this is our absolute duty – emphasizes the medic.
When it comes to the epidemic situation, every patient of the hospital, be it a foreigner or a Pole, is subjected to a rapid test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. – If the test is negative and a person shows symptoms that may indicate COVID-19, he is isolated until the infection is ruled out by the PCR test (until then we treat him as “covid”) – explains the doctor. – If the test result is added and the patient is in a condition that does not require hospitalization, we also isolate him – due to the fact that border guards do not have such possibilities, and isolation in such a case is necessary (…) Fortunately, there are not many migrants coronavirus infections, although hospitalizations for this reason do occur – he says.
As for the settlements, “for the moment, the solution is that we send the bills for the care of foreigners without insurance to the border guard”. – The hospital has a specific price list for its services and according to them we estimate the cost of care for each migrant – explains Dr. Musiuł.
Polish Medical Mission: our doctors do their work for free
Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart, the coordinator of the projects of the Polish Medical Mission, who joined in helping refugees by sending medics related to the organization to Hajnówka (still accepting applications), also spoke about the issue of medical assistance provided to migrants.
– We save the lives of these people and in this situation it does not matter whether they are insured or not. The help that is provided in hospitals to migrants in danger of life is no different from that received by Poles. It is absolutely not the case that rescuers, doctors and nurses save the lives of migrants otherwise because they are uninsured. This would be a negation of the medical profession and the medical service in general, he emphasizes. – Many homeless people in Poland also have no insurance, and how many are the uninsured unemployed? Everyone in a life-threatening situation has equal rights to medical care. This must be remembered.
- Crisis on the border. Polish Medical Mission: we have not dealt with anything like this in Poland
It is also worth recalling that by helping refugees, non-governmental organizations do not charge any remuneration for it. – We do not have public money for salaries, and our doctors are volunteers – explains Małgorzata Olasińska-Chart. – Simply put, they do their work for free, out of a sense of solidarity, out of the need to help those who will not get it without their commitment. We only cover the costs of their accommodation, meals and transport.
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