Salud en la ruta

In recent years, Latin American countries have experienced a constant flow of migrant population from various parts of the world. Migration has increased significantly, becoming the only option that thousands of people have who seek to improve their living conditions or escape situations of conflict, poverty and other effects related to climate change in their countries of origin. Transit involves great challenges among which the need to comprehensively address the health of these populations and coordinate efforts between agencies, international organizations, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Civil Society, Academia and the State.

Therefore, the health of the migrant population is an issue of great relevance and concern. Long commutes, lack of access to adequate medical services and adverse environmental conditions can lead to various physical and mental health problems, including injuries, infectious diseases and malnutrition. Furthermore, the migrant population faces risks of violence and exploitation throughout their journey, which constitute challenges especially for children, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses, older adults, people with disabilities, among other subject population groups. of special protection.

In this context, even though the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Colombian Ministry of Health do not recommend or promote the transit of these populations, they are aware of the risks that arise in the physical and mental health of migrants. . Consequently, the collaboration between these two organizations has given rise to a valuable initiative: a mobile application designed to provide key recommendations in situations that may arise in traffic and affect physical or mental health, as well as information that facilitates access to the health services available on the migratory route.
This resource has been designed considering the characteristics of the different population groups that are in transit, the recommendations are accessible and understandable in several languages, ensuring that the information is available in a timely manner.