HEALTHCARE FOR HONDURAS/GUATEMALA MIGRANTS

We continue our work with migrants as the humanitarian crisis is far from being solved. Numbers are still  increasing  and there is an urgent need for both medical and psicological support.

The most vulnerable to health crises are indigenous populations, those living in isolated border areas, pregnant adolescent women, children under five, people with chronic diseases, the elderly, and people with disabilities, who are especially susceptible to the adverse effects of the El Niño phenomenon and to diseases such as dengue fever. Migrants transiting through Guatemala are exposed to a higher risk of contracting infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, dengue fever and malaria. This is due to lack of access to primary health care services and clean water, as well as physical and sexual violence and labor exploitation.

The situation of violence and insecurity continues to impact thousands of people; violent deaths increased by 6.7% over the previous year, reaching a rate of 17.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest in the Central American region. Although certain security indicators have improved, the violence exercised by organized crime and gangs leaves huge numbers of crimes, extortion, forced recruitment and activities related to drug trafficking, increasing the protection needs of the population, especially women, children and adolescents (an estimated 2.9 million people in need of protection). 

The migrant population must face ever greater risks in order to exercise their rights, both in transit to the north, where the routes are increasingly dangerous, and on their return. The policies of control and “criminalization” of migration applied by the U.S. and Mexico are also being implemented in Guatemala, where the migrant population is growing (2,213 people entered the country every day from Honduras in September 2023) and faces more risks and limitations to cross the country. Protection needs are also higher for the 79,697 forced returnees in 2023, almost 20% lower.

Links:

• OUR WORK AT REFUGIO DE LA NINEZ RAICES DE AMOR

Doctors of the World, who work to facilitate access to health care for migrants in transit, returnees and internally displaced persons in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, is still in need of support for the acquisition of medicines. In Guatemala, it is practically impossible to import them and the purchase in the local market has very high prices, which limits the possibilities of access for the population we serve and the capacity to provide complete health care.

The medicines we urgently need to cover are: anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), analgesics, antibiotics, antiparasitics, antihistamines, corticoids, antihypertensives, insulin, antifungals, adrenaline, bronchodilators, antidiarrheal, antiulcer drugs, antiseptics, oral rehydration serums and dressing materials (such as gauze, syringes, sutures, sterile gloves...).

"The average treatment cost per person is 7.5 euros and we want to reach 2,700 people in the next six months"

According to the care provided in the last year, the most frequent pathologies are: respiratory infections, diarrhea and gastroenteritis of infectious origin, anxiety disorders, caries, parasitosis, flu, trauma, pain and fatigue, conjunctivitis, urinary tract infections, skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders, allergies, amenorrhea, myalgia, abscesses, different types of wounds, burns and scabies. It also attends to emergencies related to hypertensive crises, diabetes, risky pregnancies and babies with complications, as well as immediate after-effects of sexual violence.

In addition to the levels of poverty and inequality, widespread violence through a high number of homicides, femicides and disappearances are elements that can lead to the forced displacement of the population in general, and of children and adolescents in particular, from the countries of northern Central America and Mexico.

The region experiences high levels of violence and insecurity, child labor, lack of economic opportunities, absence of inclusive policies, and the impact of natural hazards and climate change and the disasters they often cause due to various unaddressed vulnerabilities.

Doctors of the World, present in the region for 25 years, works to facilitate access to health care for migrants in transit, returnees and internally displaced persons in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Support form donors like those from GlobalGiving is helping us to purchase the most needed medicines, but we need an extra income to be able to continue covering  most urgent needs.This is a project that has to contu¡inue runnung as log as the migrant crisis still continues

Links:

• Our coordinator explains how donations are being used to purcha