(Un)universal health care for all: A qualitative study exploring the access to health care for Venezuelan migrants in Medellín, Colombia

Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to understand how migrants perceive their opportunities to access health care, and how underlying factors result in barriers impacting their access to health care and ability to safeguard their health. It does so by answering the research question: How do Venezuelan migrants in Medellín perceive their access to health care? To fulfil the aim and answer the research question, interviews and focus groups were carried out with 30 migrants in Medellin. Through a patient-centred framework for access to health care, migration status, economic situation, living area, discrimination and lack of knowledge were barriers identified as restricting migrants’ access to healthcare. Due to these barriers, Venezuelan migrants in Medellín do not perceive having access to health care services that meet their needs. The findings point out linkages between the different barriers, and it is therefore important to use a holistic lens when investigating migrants’ access to healthcare. Furthermore, NGOs and IGOs plays an important role in migrants' access to health care, especially for undocumented migrants. Further research should investigate what implications this have on public health system, and how such organisations can support national health delivery instead of working parallel to the public system.