Universal coverage? Barriers to access to health care for the Nicaraguan refugeee population in Costa Rica

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to analyze the main barriers to access public health services for the Nicaraguan refugee population that arrived in Costa Rica after the political crisis of April 2018 in Nicaragua. For this, the study is developed in three parts: first, the characteristics of the Costa Rican health system are studied; Second, the trajectory and characteristics of Nicaraguan immigration in Costa Rica are analyzed and, in a third moment, access to health services for this population is studied based on both, the new guidelines and circulars that have been outlined in response to the new migratory flows until the beginning of 2020, and focus groups with migrant population and two NGOs that provide them with assistance in the country.