1. In order to facilitate and empower the access of migrants to health care services a web based dynamic tool was developed- using the system CMS Joomla, version 2.5.8 Stable (Ember)- along with a database for info kiosks (www.healthgate4all.gr). For the pilot phase of the project, the info-kiosks will be posted in central, open accessed but protected places (e.g railway and metro stations) of Athens and Thessaloniki. Funded by the European Union (European Social Fund-ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program "Education and Lifelong Learning" of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF)-Research Funding Program: THALIS-UOA, “THE DETECTION, TRANSCRIPTION, AND ANALYSIS OF INEQUALITIES TO HEALTHCARE ACCESS FOR IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN GREECE”, MIS 377228 The objective of the project is twofold: A)To identify, record and analyse any restrictions on the access and quality of health services for migrants in Greece B)To empower and facilitate the health care access for migrants Practice design Recent research conducted in Greece, 1,2,3 suggests limited knowledge of the health care system and decreased utilization of the health care services by migrants and other vulnerable groups. Inadequate healthcare, due to obstacles in accessing it, is not only against fundamental human rights, but it also poses serious threats to public health for the whole population. During the present economic crisis, access was further reduced, due to reduced resources for health care, increased demand and waiting times, increased copayments and decreased ability to make informal payments. It is therefore important to create the conditions for increased knowledge and utilization of health care services. The web page and the info-kiosk data base provide the following information in six languages (Greek, English, French, Albanian, Russian and Arabic): Access of health services in Greece (Health Map): all available health services, including the hospitals and the health centers of the Greek NHS, the social insurance funds, the municipal clinics as well as the non governmental organizations (NGOs) that provide health services are mapped. It is the first time that all “publicly funded” services are available in one internet site. Rights of migrants to access of health services (Legal framework): The legal framework is described for each category of migrants (legal migrants, undocumented immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers etc) and useful information is given regarding the rights of each category. Financial issues (User costs): Information about the cost-sharing arrangements for the use of the health services (user charges). Health consultation (e-Doctor): Information about the identification of symptoms of the most frequent or dangerous infectious diseases is provided as well as advice for the prevention and treatment. Based on current research, the empowerment and facilitation of health care access for migrants in Greece is necessary. Simple measures such as comprehensive information regarding the available health services and the terms for accessing it, is an important step towards enabling better access to needed services. The development of the platform is expected to improve migrants’ health literacy and to help migrants and other vulnerable groups to better access and use the available healthcare services. State of the art Objectives Conclusions During the first evaluation stage of the project, fourteen participants valued the platform as user friendly, easily accessible and comprehensive. The database after the completion of the pilot phase and any additional improvements– if any- will be disposed free of charge to all local authorities (municipalities) in Greece. Local authorities will be able to expand the use of information web-page and information points, based on the local conditions and services. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local authorities who are involved in the support of migrants will be conducted during this stage. HEALTH MAP E-DOCTOR LEGAL FRAMEWORK USER COSTS For the purposes of objective A, a large scale cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2013 to February 2014, in a national level. The study population consisted of 928 documented immigrants. According to our findings, only 35.6% (n=319) of the participants reported a good/very good degree of knowledge about public health services in Greece while 70.5% (n=637) reported a median to poor knowledge of their rights in accessing health services. A considerable percentage (20.2%, n=187) of the participants needed at least once to use health services but they could not afford it, during the last year. Among the most important problems were poor knowledge of the available health care services, long waiting times in hospitals, difficulties in communication with health professionals and high cost of health care. Increased ability to speak Greek was associated with increased health services knowledge (x 2 =97, p<0.001). Results of the study Practice Results References 1. Galanis, P., Sourtzi, P., Bellali, Th., Theodorou, M., Karamitri, I., Siskou, O., Charalambous, G., Kaitelidou, D. (2013). “Public health services knowledge and utilization among immigrants in Greece: a cross-sectional study”.BMC Health Services Research, 13:350. 2. Karamitri I, Bellali T, Galanis P, Kaitelidou D: The accessibility of vulnerable groups to health services in Greece: a Delphi study on the perceptions of health professionals. Int J Health Plann Manage 2012, 28:35–47. 3. Kotsioni, I., Ponthieu A., Egidi, S. (2013). “Health at risk in immigration detention facilities”. Forced Migration Review 44 (See more at: http://www.fmreview.org/detention.dpuf)