Impact Case Study: Prioritising migrant needs in health planning and policymaking in Colombia

Colombia’s large population of Venezuelan migrants has for a while been entitled to basic state-funded medical care, but little evidence was available to understand whether and how migrants were accessing services. This study sought to understand the impact of COVID-19 public health measures and other policies on Venezuelan migrants’ access to health services.

The study findings provided valuable data and clear, actionable recommendations for the health protection of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. National policymakers’ knowledge and understanding of the needs of migrant populations have improved, and there is evidence that their priorities are now more positively in favour of the needs of migrants. Evidence was used to inform the vaccine roll-out and fed into the new ten-year national Public Health Plan, in line with a 2021 Colombian relaxation on migrant integration. Global and local partnerships have been strengthened to improve the evidence base for effective humanitarian response.

R2HC captures detailed case studies through a process that triangulates and validates evidence on uptake and impact. The case study methodology and full version of this summary case study including references are available on request. Outputs and resources from this study are available on the project page.