More than 100 healthcare professionals and social workers came together at the first edition of the Caritas Forum to discuss the links between poverty and illness. One of the conclusions drawn from the event was that doctors, psychologists, and social workers need to improve how they cooperate. The goal is to provide people in need of help with a holistic approach and follow-up support.
Caritas spokesperson Carole Reckinger believes that the link between poverty and illness is not being discussed enough although an increasing number of people does not have access to the healthcare system. Dr Emile Bock from the Robert Schuman Hospital Group agrees with this position, noting that homeless people regularly show up in the emergency room.
Dr Bock noted: “The people often have health issues, often associated with addiction, and then we see over time how their state is degrading. We then watch somewhat helplessly how these people slowly die after leaving the ER because there is no follow-up infrastructure to take care of them. These are the main problems. We actually think that we need a social worker in the ER who can approach people proactively to solve these issues.”
Doctors of the World have a similar view given that they are often approached by illicit workers or people without insurance. Director Sylvie Martin explained: “We also have people ... who officially worked but don’t have money and sleep in their cars. So they don’t have an address and cannot see a doctor.”
The non-profit therefore hopes that future coverage will not solely depend on factors such as employment and accommodation. They further plead for the introduction of universal coverage. According to spokesperson Stéphanie Gardini, the problem here is currently that there is no legal basis for it.
The results of the different encounters at the Caritas Forum were in the end brought to the attention of several MPs participating in a final roundtable discussion.
