Barriers to Seeking Healthcare Services Among Labor Migrants in the Gulf Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

Thursday, 10 July 2025: 13:45
Location: FSE032 (Faculty of Education Sciences (FSE))
Oral Presentation
Prof. Mohammad Mainul Mainul ISLAM, PhD, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Md Yeasir Yunus MD YEASIR YUNUS, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Health, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Muhammad Saifullah AKIB, Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University, Germany
Md. Rakibul IQBAL, Department of Health Promotion and Public Health, Ulster University, United Kingdom
Mohona KHAN, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Marzia FATEMA, Department of Population Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Aim: Despite of having one of the highest labor force migrant populations in the world, there is still notable gap of empirical studies addressing healthcare facilities and services for the labor migrants in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This systematic literature review explored the barriers to seeking healthcare services for labor migrants in these countries.

Method: Following the PRISMA guideline, we searched Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed for English language articles between July 15, 2023, and July 20, 2023, using Boolean search terms. The search included empirical studies published between January 1, 2013, and July 15, 2023, addressing any of barriers related to availability, accessibility, affordability, utilization of labor migrants in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. To follow a rigorous process for ensuring the quality of included studies, we used JBI critical appraisal checklists.

Results: Our review addressed the limited mention of healthcare accessibility, availability, affordability, and the predominant mention of related barriers of the labor migrants in these countries. The review identified a range of barriers to healthcare access, including limited health insurance coverage and insufficient occupational health and safety standards. Additionally, socio-cultural challenges such as language barriers, discrimination, and low health literacy were prevalent. Many labor migrant workers believe that health insurance is only needed to renew their work permits. Disparities in healthcare access become apparent compared to the citizens of the host countries.

Conclusions: Our review recommends actions like enforcing comprehensive health insurance policies, enhancing cultural competence among healthcare providers through training programs, and implementing community-based health literacy campaigns tailored for international labor migrants. Effective implementation of these strategies aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including good health and well-being, reduced inequalities, and decent work and economic growth, thereby fostering a healthier, more inclusive environment for all residents within the GCC.

See more of: Addressing Healthcare Challenges for Migrant Populations I
See more of: RC15 Sociology of Health
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