Paperless migrants and Norwegian general practitioners

In Norway, the rights of paperless migrants are restricted. We wished to investigate the extent to which Norwegian general practitioners give treatment to this group and their grounds for doing so, as well as to identify the health problems that were presented.

In 2010, an online questionnaire was distributed to 3 994 general practitioners who were members of the Norwegian Medical Association.

Altogether 1 027 GPs responded. Of these, 237 (23 %) reported to have treated paperless migrants. Mental problems, pregnancy-related issues and respiratory ailments were the most frequently reported reasons for contact. Of the 237 GPs who reported to have treated paperless migrants, altogether 166 (70 %) stated that they would continue to receive these patients.

The fact that most of the GPs who had treated paperless migrants would continue to receive this patient group and thus provide health services beyond this group’s entitlements, we regard as a wish to comply with the Code of Ethics for Norwegian doctors.