ABSTRACT
‘Culture’ consists of factors such as history, perspective, customs, values, traditions and beliefs shared with other people in a defined group (Uzzell, 2007). Advances in the technologies of communication and transport, increasing economic globalisation and migratory movements are together contributing to the creation of multicultural societies. There is widespread recognition that health inequalities exist between different cultural groups within multicultural societies, and that specific measures should be employed to improve the quality and accessibility of health services (European Commission, 2008). In addition, social medicine places an increasing value on client autonomy, choice and user involvement in designing and delivering as well as receiving services, in contrast to the previously dominant biomedical model of health (Bennett Johnson, 2013).
