Perspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for Venezuelan migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador
Objectives. To describe the perspectives of health practitioners on the barriers, gaps, and opportunities that Venezuelan migrant women experienced to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 pandemic and how SRH services were affected in Quito, Ecuador. Methods. H...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pan American Health Organization
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/57314 |
| _version_ | 1797854743252434944 |
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| author | Susana Guijarro Ana Lucia Torres Gonzalo Montero Mónica Garcia Hernán Sabay Sarah Iribarren José Andrés Ocaña Paula Yánez Patricio Murgueytio |
| author_facet | Susana Guijarro Ana Lucia Torres Gonzalo Montero Mónica Garcia Hernán Sabay Sarah Iribarren José Andrés Ocaña Paula Yánez Patricio Murgueytio |
| author_sort | Susana Guijarro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives. To describe the perspectives of health practitioners on the barriers, gaps, and opportunities that Venezuelan migrant women experienced to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 pandemic and how SRH services were affected in Quito, Ecuador.
Methods. Health practitioners involved in SRH services at nine public health care facilities in three zones of Quito were surveyed. The Minimum Initial Service Package readiness assessment tool survey, available from the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crisis, was adapted for use and data collection in Ecuador.
Results. Of 297 respondents, 227 were included in the analysis. Only 16% of the health practitioners agreed that discrimination against migrant Venezuelans women occurred in the health care system. Of those, only 2.3% described specific conditions associated with discrimination, including requiring identification documents (7.5%) and lack of empathy or responsiveness (6.6%). Most (65.2%) respondents reported that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the use of SRH services by women in the general population and by Venezuelan migrant women more so (56.3%) because of more limited access to SRH services, poverty, and vulnerability. There were no differences between perceptions by levels of health care facility, except with regard to the lack of supplies, awareness of discrimination, and the belief that Venezuelan migrant women were affected more negatively than the local population.
Conclusion. The perception among health practitioners in Quito was that discrimination occurred infrequently during the COVID-19 pandemic despite affecting the health care system. However, some level of discrimination toward migrant Venezuelan migrant women seeking SRH services was acknowledged and may be underrepresented. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:12:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-86c4222533dc4db2ad1a457ba21c8d4c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1020-4989 1680-5348 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:12:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Pan American Health Organization |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
| spelling | doaj.art-86c4222533dc4db2ad1a457ba21c8d4c2023-03-31T17:41:04ZengPan American Health OrganizationRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública1020-49891680-53482023-03-01475811010.26633/RPSP.2023.58rpspPerspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for Venezuelan migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, EcuadorSusana Guijarro0Ana Lucia Torres1Gonzalo Montero2Mónica Garcia3Hernán Sabay4Sarah Iribarren5José Andrés Ocaña6Paula Yánez7Patricio Murgueytio8Public Health Institute, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, EcuadorPublic Health Institute, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, EcuadorPublic Health Institute, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, EcuadorGraduate Program in Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.Graduate Program in Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.University of Washington, Seattle, United States of America.Public Health Institute, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, EcuadorPublic Health Institute, School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, EcuadorIndependent advisor, Gaithersburg, United States of America.Objectives. To describe the perspectives of health practitioners on the barriers, gaps, and opportunities that Venezuelan migrant women experienced to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services during the COVID-19 pandemic and how SRH services were affected in Quito, Ecuador. Methods. Health practitioners involved in SRH services at nine public health care facilities in three zones of Quito were surveyed. The Minimum Initial Service Package readiness assessment tool survey, available from the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crisis, was adapted for use and data collection in Ecuador. Results. Of 297 respondents, 227 were included in the analysis. Only 16% of the health practitioners agreed that discrimination against migrant Venezuelans women occurred in the health care system. Of those, only 2.3% described specific conditions associated with discrimination, including requiring identification documents (7.5%) and lack of empathy or responsiveness (6.6%). Most (65.2%) respondents reported that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the use of SRH services by women in the general population and by Venezuelan migrant women more so (56.3%) because of more limited access to SRH services, poverty, and vulnerability. There were no differences between perceptions by levels of health care facility, except with regard to the lack of supplies, awareness of discrimination, and the belief that Venezuelan migrant women were affected more negatively than the local population. Conclusion. The perception among health practitioners in Quito was that discrimination occurred infrequently during the COVID-19 pandemic despite affecting the health care system. However, some level of discrimination toward migrant Venezuelan migrant women seeking SRH services was acknowledged and may be underrepresented.https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/57314migrantsexual healthreproductive healthaccess to health servicessocial discriminationvenezuela |
| spellingShingle | Susana Guijarro Ana Lucia Torres Gonzalo Montero Mónica Garcia Hernán Sabay Sarah Iribarren José Andrés Ocaña Paula Yánez Patricio Murgueytio Perspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for Venezuelan migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública migrant sexual health reproductive health access to health services social discrimination venezuela |
| title | Perspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for Venezuelan migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador |
| title_full | Perspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for Venezuelan migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador |
| title_fullStr | Perspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for Venezuelan migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for Venezuelan migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador |
| title_short | Perspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for Venezuelan migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quito, Ecuador |
| title_sort | perspectives of health practitioners on the challenges to accessing sexual and reproductive health care services for venezuelan migrant women during the covid 19 pandemic in quito ecuador |
| topic | migrant sexual health reproductive health access to health services social discrimination venezuela |
| url | https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/57314 |
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