We report on the research carried out by three students from Maastricht University who spent three months in Palermo following INTERSOS’s work on global health.
In Italy, there are contexts where health, an inalienable right recognised by the Constitution, is not guaranteed everywhere. In Sicily, for example, there are situations of marginalisation and social exclusion in which the most vulnerable people have no access to primary and psycho-physical care.
INTERSOS operates in Sicily with a mobile unit and a multidisciplinary team to reach all marginalised people living in remote areas or in conditions of social isolation. In particular, in the city of Palermo, in the various neighbourhoods marked by high levels of marginalisation, and in the surrounding areas, humanitarian workers offer social and health care, specifically medical screening, social and legal assistance, health prevention, health promotion, and guidance on services. The beneficiaries of the mobile clinic are homeless people, people with substance addictions, migrants and refugees, sex workers, victims of trafficking, unaccompanied minors, exploited seasonal agricultural workers, and people suffering from social and economic marginalisation.
Three students from Maastricht University conducted field research during a three-month stay in Palermo, following INTERSOS’s work on global health. Here, we report their valuable testimony of their experience working directly in the field with our team.