

As of March 2020, roughly 1.8 million Venezuelan migrants were living in Colombia. An additional 5 million – known as “pendular migrants” -- were crossing the border for short periods to obtain medical care, food, informal work, or to visit family before the borders were closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in March 2020. The Colombian government has committed to integrating Venezuelan migrants into the health system, in keeping with the country’s constitution, which grants everyone the right to health care. This commitment was reiterated in February 2021 with the Colombian president’s historic announcement that Venezuelan migrants would soon be granted temporary legal status in Colombia.
The country faces two tremendous challenges that strain the health system: adequately financing and providing accessible health care to the large migrant population while ensuring that current residents continue to benefit from social and economic development; and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
LHSS supports the Colombian government’s efforts to integrate Venezuelan migrants into the health system and respond to health emergencies. Our work supports the immediate COVID-19 response while laying the groundwork for broader interventions in priority regions. Over the life of the activity, we will work with the Colombian government to achieve four main objectives:
Stories, Blogs, and Video
Meet Jessica. Her little girl is one of more than 40,000 migrants who have been enrolled in Colombia’s national health insurance system with support from the LHSS Project.
The pandemic has presented an urgent challenge to Colombia’s already overburdened, understaffed health system. Rapid response teams are traversing roads, mountain paths, and rivers to help health officials contain the spread of COVID-19.
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