Piloting Migrant-Sensitive Health Facilities in the Central American Migration Corridor

  • Start Date
    2023
  • End Date
    2025
  • Project Status
    Active
  • Project Type
    Health Promotion and Assist for Migrants
  • Budget Amount (USD)
    400000.00
  • Coverage
    Regional
  • Year
    2022
  • IDF Region
    Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Prima ID
    CR10P0530
  • Projects ID
    MA.0546
  • Benefiting Member States
    Costa Rica Guatemala
Costa Rica and Guatemala experience high levels of mixed migration, including both transit and seasonal flows. In 2021, more than 130,000 irregular migrants crossed the Darien gap and entries to Costa Rica peaked with 25,040 and 54,300 entries during the months of September and October respectively. This trend is in addition to the annual flow of seasonal migrants who cross the Panamanian-Costa Rica border to harvest coffee, which is largely composed of Ngöbe Buglé indigenous people who often encounter significant cultural barriers when accessing medical services. Similarly, in 2022 Guatemala has witnessed unprecedented numbers of migrants transiting through the country, mainly from Central America (El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua), South America (Venezuela) and the Caribbean (Haiti and Cuba). Migrant populations are often exposed to increased health risks, especially when they travel through high-risk and irregular routes. However, many healthcare providers in migration-impacted communities face challenges to identify and address the specific health needs of migrants. As such, it is essential that health services have the capacity to provide gender/age/migrant-sensitive care that is also context specific. This project aims to contribute to promoting comprehensive health services in Costa Rica and Guatemala which are accessible, equitable, and well suited to migrants’ specific needs. In order to achieve this, diagnostic and needs assessments regarding the ability of target health facilities in Costa Rica and Guatemala to effectively address the needs of migrant populations will be conducted (Output 1.1); Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for providing care that is sensitive to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of migrants and other people on the move, including IDPs and indigenous people, will be developed (Output 1.2); health professionals and support and administration staff in target health facilities will be trained in the implementation of the SOPs and an Action Plan to implement the SOPs will be developed (Output 1.3); follow up will be conducted to support and review target health facilities’ implementation of the SOPs (Output 1.4); and a toolkit for promoting the adoption of SOPs and determining if health facilities provide migrant-sensitive care will be developed (Output 1.5). This approach will lead to government health centers in Costa Rica and Guatemala being able to utilise the acquired knowledge and developed tools to provide health care that meets migrants’ specific needs (Outcome 1).