Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia
Background: Colombia hosts a large number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees who are uniquely vulnerable and have been markedly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary to understand their experiences to inform future policy decisions both in Colombia and during disease outbreaks in other...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Migration and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623523000375 |
| _version_ | 1797799904283721728 |
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| author | Megan Stevenson José Rafael Guillén Kristin G. Bevilacqua Sarah Arciniegas Jennifer Ortíz Jhon Jairo López Jhon Fredy Ramírez Miguel Barriga Talero Cindy Quijano Alejandra Vela Yessenia Moreno Francisco Rigual Kathleen R Page Paul B Spiegel Ricardo Luque Núñez Julián A. Fernández-Niño Andrea L. Wirtz |
| author_facet | Megan Stevenson José Rafael Guillén Kristin G. Bevilacqua Sarah Arciniegas Jennifer Ortíz Jhon Jairo López Jhon Fredy Ramírez Miguel Barriga Talero Cindy Quijano Alejandra Vela Yessenia Moreno Francisco Rigual Kathleen R Page Paul B Spiegel Ricardo Luque Núñez Julián A. Fernández-Niño Andrea L. Wirtz |
| author_sort | Megan Stevenson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Colombia hosts a large number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees who are uniquely vulnerable and have been markedly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary to understand their experiences to inform future policy decisions both in Colombia and during disease outbreaks in other humanitarian contexts in the future. As part of a larger study focused on HIV among Venezuelans residing in Colombia, qualitative interviews were conducted to understand this population's experiences and access to healthcare. Methods: Interviews were conducted with Venezuelan migrants and refugees as well as stakeholders such as care providers, humanitarian workers, and government officials. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using thematic content analysis. Select quotes were translated and edited for length and/or clarity. Results: Venezuelan migrants and refugees reported high levels of housing instability, job instability, increased barriers to accessing healthcare, and complications in engaging in the HIV care continuum, among other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stakeholders reported complications in provision of care and obtaining medicines, difficulty maintaining contact with patients, increased discrimination and xenophobia targeting Venezuelan migrants and refugees, increased housing instability among Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and other impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the unique impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among Venezuelans residing in Colombia by both compounding extant vulnerabilities and introducing new challenges, such as high rates of eviction. Colombia has enacted increasingly inclusive migration policies for Venezuelan refugees and migrants within the country; findings from this study underscore the necessity for such policies both in and outside of the Colombian context. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:26:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e3b2613fe9c403e9aea155a5f9607a7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-6235 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:26:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Migration and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e3b2613fe9c403e9aea155a5f9607a72023-06-20T04:21:09ZengElsevierJournal of Migration and Health2666-62352023-01-017100187Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in ColombiaMegan Stevenson0José Rafael Guillén1Kristin G. Bevilacqua2Sarah Arciniegas3Jennifer Ortíz4Jhon Jairo López5Jhon Fredy Ramírez6Miguel Barriga Talero7Cindy Quijano8Alejandra Vela9Yessenia Moreno10Francisco Rigual11Kathleen R Page12Paul B Spiegel13Ricardo Luque Núñez14Julián A. Fernández-Niño15Andrea L. Wirtz16Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States; Corresponding author: Megan Stevenson, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.Corporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United StatesJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United StatesCorporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaCorporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaCorporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaCorporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaCorporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaCorporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaCorporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaCorporación Red Somos, Bogotá, ColombiaJohns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United StatesJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United StatesMinistry of Health and Social Protection, Bogotá, ColombiaJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United StatesJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United StatesBackground: Colombia hosts a large number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees who are uniquely vulnerable and have been markedly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary to understand their experiences to inform future policy decisions both in Colombia and during disease outbreaks in other humanitarian contexts in the future. As part of a larger study focused on HIV among Venezuelans residing in Colombia, qualitative interviews were conducted to understand this population's experiences and access to healthcare. Methods: Interviews were conducted with Venezuelan migrants and refugees as well as stakeholders such as care providers, humanitarian workers, and government officials. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using thematic content analysis. Select quotes were translated and edited for length and/or clarity. Results: Venezuelan migrants and refugees reported high levels of housing instability, job instability, increased barriers to accessing healthcare, and complications in engaging in the HIV care continuum, among other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stakeholders reported complications in provision of care and obtaining medicines, difficulty maintaining contact with patients, increased discrimination and xenophobia targeting Venezuelan migrants and refugees, increased housing instability among Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and other impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the unique impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among Venezuelans residing in Colombia by both compounding extant vulnerabilities and introducing new challenges, such as high rates of eviction. Colombia has enacted increasingly inclusive migration policies for Venezuelan refugees and migrants within the country; findings from this study underscore the necessity for such policies both in and outside of the Colombian context.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623523000375Migrant, refugeeVenezuelaColombia, healthcare accessCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Megan Stevenson José Rafael Guillén Kristin G. Bevilacqua Sarah Arciniegas Jennifer Ortíz Jhon Jairo López Jhon Fredy Ramírez Miguel Barriga Talero Cindy Quijano Alejandra Vela Yessenia Moreno Francisco Rigual Kathleen R Page Paul B Spiegel Ricardo Luque Núñez Julián A. Fernández-Niño Andrea L. Wirtz Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia Journal of Migration and Health Migrant, refugee Venezuela Colombia, healthcare access COVID-19 |
| title | Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia |
| title_full | Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia |
| title_fullStr | Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia |
| title_short | Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia |
| title_sort | qualitative assessment of the impacts of the covid 19 pandemic on migration access to healthcare and social wellbeing among venezuelan migrants and refugees in colombia |
| topic | Migrant, refugee Venezuela Colombia, healthcare access COVID-19 |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666623523000375 |
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