Migrants and Refugees Can Access Quality Health Care Services in Mexico Carla Denti - Medecins Sans Frontieres
go to original December 19, 2016

International Migrants Day 2016 (IOM - UN Migration Agency)

Each year, more than 400,000 people – most from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala – cross Mexico, fleeing violence, poverty and threats from criminal gangs. For more than three years, teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have been providing them with medical care and humanitarian aid.

On International Migrants Day, Carla Denti, MSF’s medical coordinator in Mexico, described the barriers they face accessing health services in Mexico.

In Mexico, all victims of violence are entitled to receive quality medical and psychological care, regardless of their origin and their migration status, with special care for survivors of some forms of extreme violence. Since 2015, these people have been able to apply for temporary registration with the Mexican public healthcare system.

However, in our experience, these people still have a worrying lack of access to healthcare, which is often hampered by health staff being unaware they should provide this care, or by a lack of resources. Most of our patients prefer not to seek medical attention for fear of being deported or reported.

For women who have been victims of sexual violence, it is much more complex. For them, it is crucial to have timely access to emergency contraception and post-exposure prophylaxis treatment, which can mean the difference between life and death. Mexican health standards view rape as a medical emergency but, in practice, Central American women face twin barriers – the fear of being deported, and the fear of social stigma, which Mexican women already know about.

For those who have been victims of extreme violence, getting medical and psychological care should be a priority.

Our comprehensive care center provides medical and psychological support to victims of torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. It is staffed by a team of doctors, psychologists and social workers.

The team works with the network of shelters and humanitarian facilities for migrants and refugees across Mexico to identify those people who have been victims of extreme violence. We also offer advice on social and legal protection issues, with the support of the Scalabrinian Mission for Migrants and Refugees.

Since the center opened in 2015, we have had 85 patients. One in four was female, and 15 per cent were children or teenagers. Half of the patients needed to be referred to specialist or advanced healthcare services, in particular those who had experienced severe trauma or sexual violence. Nine in ten of those surveyed reported symptoms of depression or anxiety.

On International Migrants Day, MSF calls on the Mexican authorities to enforced legislation to implement real access to healthcare services, especially for those people crossing Mexico who become victims of violence.

Read the rest at Medecins Sans Frontieres

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