ANOMALIES AND GAPS IN HEALTH INSURANCE PROVISION FOR SRI LANKAN WOMEN MIGRATING AS DOMESTIC WORKERS TO THE MIDDLE EAST, AND THE IMPACT OF THESE ON THEIR ACCESS TO AND UPTAKE OF HEALTHCARE, AND ON THEIR HEALTH STATUS IN GENERAL

Project Number : 2014/01

Type of the Project : Research Study

Commencement : 2014

Completion : 2015

Funded by : Foundation Open Society Institute (FOSI) & University of Oxford

Women leaving as domestic workers to Gulf States are a large proportion of Sri Lankan migrant workers. The nature of domestic work can have a negative impact on health, hours are typically long and work arduous, and there is no oversight of health and safety in private homes. These impacts may be more complex in a foreign country, as workers are often isolated with little information about or access to healthcare. The project will explore the impact of migration on the health of domestic workers by interviewing women who return to Sri Lanka about their health during the whole migration journey, from origin to destination and back again. Sri Lankan officials responsible for policies on migration, as well as healthcare providers, will also be interviewed to find out their views on the relation between migration and health for women domestic workers. The project will contribute new knowledge to an expanding research area on migration and health locally and internationally.