Assessing International Students’ Healthcare Access : A qualitative study examining the barriers to healthcare access faced by international students in Halmstad

Abstract: The human right to health and access to good quality healthcare services is a fundamental and universal principle. However, certain population groups face unique challenges that restrict their healthcare access resulting in illness and impacting their quality of life. One of those groups includes international students that face a myriad of challenges during the time they spend away from home. Although the healthcare system in Sweden is designed to be accessible to all and ensure equitable care, large disparities in healthcare access can put these populations at a disadvantage and render them especially vulnerable to chronic illness. This study set out to explore the disparities in healthcare access that international students at Halmstad University face based on factors such as their citizenship, length of study program, and duration of stay in Sweden. Interviews were conducted with 9 international master's students exploring the various challenges they encountered when they accessed healthcare services and findings revealed a series of difficulties impeding their access to healthcare. One-year master students encountered larger obstacles when compared to two-year students, and the difficulties were attributed to personal ID number ineligibility, lack of information about the healthcare system, language barrier, and long wait times. These results highlight the need for further research exploring additional barriers, underlying causes, effects and potential solutions to address these issues effectively.