Migrants in Latin America: Disparities in Health Status and in Access to Healthcare

Abstract

The large magnitude and sudden nature of recent migration flows in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) impose challenges to receiving countries’ health systems, which have to provide care to a larger population. These challenges are magnified by the fact that recent waves of migrants are particularly vulnerable to health risks in LAC and may not have full access to healthcare. In this paper, we revise the literature on the disparities in the health profile of migrants compared to natives and we identify w hich are the main sources of disparities in migrants’ access to healthcare presenting, when available, evidence of these disparities and their sources in LAC. Based on this evidence, we provide policy recommendations aimed at alleviating migrants’ health d isparities in LAC.