Ongedocumenteerd tijdens de COVID-19-pandemie

Research suggests that undocumented migrants are at high risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Moreover, as a result of their undocumented status in society they lack social protection, such as health insurance and other safety nets, and are thus at great risk of socioeconomic adversities as a consequence of the public health measures to contain the virus. Little is known about how Dutch undocumented migrants navigated through the pandemic. This qualitative study aims to gain an understanding of the experiences of Dutch undocumented people had with care during the COVID-19 pandemic and the policy response in order to contain it.

Twelve interviews were conducted with undocumented visitors of the Kruispost, a general practice in Amsterdam for people who do not have regular access to the mainstream healthcare system.

Our understanding of the experiences of undocumented migrants emerged across two major themes: a) structures, describing the formal and social structures that existed for members of undocumented communities during the pandemic, how they provided various forms of support, and how this was received, and b) strategies describing different skills and coping mechanisms undocumented migrants were able to apply in response to the challenges of the pandemic and the policy response.

Our findings suggest that pre-existing inequities have been exacerbated during the pandemic, and unique challenges were posed for the Dutch undocumented communities. However, we also learned that the undocumented people we interviewed were highly resilient and capable of withstanding many of these challenges. A vital role was seen for support groups, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the Kruispost. Governments and public health services could provide support for these structures and strategies by increasing cooperation and funding with aforementioned parties.