Magdalena Zabielska
Art of Healing, Volume 37, Issue 2, Volume 37 (2022), pp. 23-35
https://doi.org/10.4467/18982026SZL.22.012.16671This paper presents the preliminary results of the study of foreigners’ experiences with healthcare institutions in the Polish city of Poznań, as shared during 40 narrative interviews with addressed people with no or weak knowledge of Polish. The selected fragments were analysed qualitatively to determine the ways in which the participants discursively constructed their experience of regular check-ups and consultations as well as various (emergency) situations, when they sought medical advice or help but could not communicate (effectively). The analysis confirms the results obtained in the few similar studies conducted either in Poznań or in Poland in general, which point to a number of obstacles in accessing medical services on the part of these patients. The interviews feature accounts labelled as nightmares, massacres or traumas and include different themes. Discourse-wise, these are small stories, accompanied by emotional expressions in which they convey essness, frustration and of being out of place.