Perspectives in Biology and Medicine
Volume 62, Issue 1, 2019, Pages 111-130

The role of physicians during hunger strikes of undocumented migrant workers in a non-custodial setting (Article)

Vanobberghen R.* , Louckx F. , Depoorter A.-M. , Devroey D. , Vandevoorde J.
  • a Department of Family Medicine and Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
  • b Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
  • c Department of Public Health (Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Group), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
  • d Department of Family Medicine and Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
  • e Department of Family Medicine and Chronic Care, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the living conditions of undocumented migrant workers in Belgium have deteriorated drastically. In Brussels, after various social actions, undocumented people began squatting and occupying public buildings to make their struggle visible to society. Desperate, some seized the possibility of a loophole in Belgian law that permits ill persons to have access to a temporary residence permit and started hunger striking. Confronted with consecutive strikes, medical teams of voluntary health professionals faced a big dilemma. A search of the medical literature yielded information about the overall and specific tasks of health professionals during hunger strikes in custodial and hospital settings, but no scientific guidelines were found to address the specific problems the team was confronted with. Information was collected about 15 hunger strikes over a period of seven years, involving the participation of 1,158 strikers. This article describes the medical, organizational, and ethical difficulties encountered in the follow-up of hunger strikes in non-custodial settings, including those associated with the establishment of a health-care structure, operation with very limited resources, and communication with the media and other health professionals. © 2019, Johns Hopkins University Press. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

Physician's Role trade union Physicians physician Transients and Migrants Belgium mental capacity Strikes, Employee psychology physician attitude legislation and jurisprudence informed consent ethics human Humans hunger migration Mental Competency
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85064243844&doi=10.1353%2fpbm.2019.0006&partnerID=40&md5=59fe684d82f3744d4d7188decbe5b973
DOI: 10.1353/pbm.2019.0006
ISSN: 00315982
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English