Proposal for Increasing Health Care Coverage for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants Living with HIV. Update in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The flow of refugees and migrants from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the largest movement of people in the history of Latin America and the second largest in the world. By 2020, more than 5 million people had left the country in search of better living conditions and access to basic services, including health care. This publication was prepared by PAHO and UNAIDS as part of the regional process of coordinating technical and financial support for refugees and migrants in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It presents practical guidelines for expanding health care coverage for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, taking into consideration the current context of COVID-19. It is structured along five strategic lines of action aimed at expanding HIV prevention, care, and treatment policies. This proposal is aimed at policymakers in the Region’s ministries of health, health system officials, and other institutions that deal with issues related to refugee and migrant populations at regional, national, and subnational levels, especially those active in border areas and destination communities. The recommendations have been adapted to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created new challenges in relation to health responses, especially the response to HIV/AIDS in the Region of the Americas.