Description
This paper explores how digital technologies and data practices shape migrants' access to healthcare in Italy, focusing on the complex interplay between digital and paper-based bureaucratic systems. Drawing on fieldwork across multiple sites, it examines how the digitalization of health assessments, data registries, and electronic health records intersects with long-standing paper-based processes, often creating a fragmented and inconsistent experience for migrants. The study highlights how digital tools can both facilitate and hinder access to care, particularly for unregistered migrants or those in temporary facilities like Lampedusa and Palermo, where digital systems are often disconnected from the realities of on-the-ground healthcare provision. Despite the potential of digital technologies to streamline care, the paper argues that these systems often reinforce inequalities by failing to address the embodied experiences of migrants and their diverse healthcare needs. This is particularly evident in areas like trauma care, maternal health, and mental health support in reception and detention centres. By examining the continuum of digital and paper-based bureaucracy, the paper calls for a more integrated and inclusive healthcare approach that bridges the gap between technology and the lived experiences of migrants, ensuring equitable access to care throughout their journey.
