Experiences With the Medical and Health Systems for Somali Refugees Living in Hamilton

Little is known about the health practices of refugee groups in New Zealand so the present research aimed to provide an overview of the reported health status and the barriers to health service utilization of Somali refugees in Hamilton. Participants reported that they rely on General Practitioners (GPs) to confide in about their health, to obtain health information, to deal with "mental health" problems, as well as to act as family doctors. GPs were generally judged positively and were seen as caring and friendly with expertise. While overall positive towards medical services, the Somali refugees had many problems accessing the services required, the biggest problem being language, and to a lesser extent transportation and medical costs.