Delivery of medical care for migrants in Germany: delay of diagnosis and treatment.

Background: Migrants form 9% of Germany's population and 13% of its capital Berlin. Only limited data are available regarding general health status and prevalence of tropical diseases among migrants in Germany. This study was conducted to investigate the spectrum and frequency of tropical diseases among migrants in Berlin and to evaluate the quality of the medical care provided. The necessity of a routine screening for tropical diseases among migrants was assessed.
Methods: Anonymized data of migrants presenting to the Berlin Institute of Tropical Medicine between 1999 and 2004 with a stay in Germany below 1 year (n= 153) were analyzed.
Results: Of all examined migrants, 48% needed immediate medical treatment and 38% carried an infectious disease, mainly nematodes and intestinal protozoa. 19% suffered from a noninfectious disease, mainly anemia, and 12% were transferred to other specialists for further investigation. These figures were similar among asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. The median duration of stay in Germany until presentation was 42 days. While 40% of the migrants were examined within the first 4 weeks of their stay, 20% had not received a medical examination after 6 months. Of this population, 50% required treatment upon presentation.
Conclusions: The high proportion of delayed diagnosis and treatment indicates a lack of medical service for migrants. While this clearly translates into increased health risks for the individual patient, it also indicates a potential risk for transmission of communicable diseases in the community. The lack of a correlation between symptoms and detected infectious disease indicates the need for a standardized routine screening examination in all migrants.