Note: The following text is a guest article. They reflect the personal views of the author. The article is not an expression of opinion by the Federal Ministry of Health.
Guest article: Prof. Dr. hab. Yasar Bilgin
In his guest article, Dr. med. Yasar Bilgin, as the 1st chairman of the TDG e. V., provides an outline of the special challenges faced by people with long-COVID who come from a migrant family background.
Published on: 08/17/2023
The special challenges faced by people with long-COVID who come from a migrant family background
The COVID 19 pandemic has proven to be an extraordinary challenge for the entire global community and the scientific community. It also became evident how critical and decisive it was to counsel citizens for the implementation of political decisions. During this time, TDG e. V. was intensively involved in specifically reaching out to citizens having a migration background and providing them with important information. In order to counteract the existing uncertainties and fears, it held great importance to promote not only the essential information but also to foster a trustworthy dialogue with each other. The joint efforts during the Corona pandemic in this regard also demonstrated a positive effect on the integration process.
In the case of the long-COVID disease, such aspects are of equal importance. Patients with a migration background feel a sense of uncertainty and have few to no points of contact for diagnosis, counselling and therapy services. Here again, it becomes evident how crucial a targeted, culturally sensitive approach and counselling is for this group of patients. For this reason, it is necessary to design and implement an educational campaign specifically for this patient group, taking culture-specific aspects into account. In addition, it is necessary to carry out public relations work in native-language media, especially in the field of digital social media, in order to reach this group of people in a targeted manner.
Brief bio of Dr. Bilgin, TDG e. V.
Prof. Dr. hab. Yasar Bilgin was born in Mersin, Turkey. He completed his medical studies at the University of Istanbul and at the Justus Liebig University in Gießen. He is a specialist in internal medicine at the University of Gießen and a specialist in cardiology at the University of Istanbul. His post-doctoral qualification was in the field of cardiology at the University of Istanbul. Since founding the TDG e. V. in Gießen in the year 1988, he has been committed to bringing about improvements in medicine and improving the communication of medical issues for people with a migration background in Germany. Prof. Dr. hab. Bilgin has been awarded three honorary doctorates and an honorary professorship by various universities.