Health access of cape verdeans in lisbon-Portugal

Social exclusion and inequalities have been discussed for years. Human migration occurs because people seek advanced and structured societies in technologies. Fact due to inequalities in economic development between countries. Among social inequalities, we have health access. Ageing grows in different parts of the world, and it implies increasing public health expenditures. This article seeks to understand the relationship between immigration, health and aging of Cape Verdean elderly residents in Lisbon-Portugal. This exploratory, qualitative study was carried out with Cape Verdeans in July 2013 through interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire and participant observation, the data being processed by content analysis. Social inequalities affected the health access of Cape Verdeans, with the scarcity of materials and physicians, the low income that impaired the purchase of medications and/or reach to health care. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce social inequalities, to change this situation of absence or ineffectiveness of public policies (health access). Urgent for immigrants and viable by embracing the existing welcoming policies, and the creation of new ones with goals for the near future.