Challenges of health services related to the population displaced by violence in Mexico

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To analyze the impacts of the care to the population displaced by violence on the health system and the challenges that this entails.METHODS This is a narrative review of the national and international literature in PubMed, SciELO, WHO/PAHO, and Bireme. Inclusion criteria were date of publication (from 2000), relation with the subject, and language (Spanish or English). We found 292 documents, of which 91 met the inclusion criteria.RESULTS The main challenges are the intersectoral, participatory, and integral approach (with emphasis on mental health and sexual and reproductive health), ensured accessibility to health services, the need for a reliable registration and information system of the population displaced by violence and its characteristics, and the addressing of the biopsychosocial problems of the different groups, especially women, persons with disabilities or infectious diseases, adolescents, children, ethnic minorities, older adults and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, and intersexual population.CONCLUSIONS The lack of political will to accept and see the internal displacement by violence and its importance as a humanitarian and public health problem is an obstacle to the adequate and timely care of the population displaced by violence in Mexico.

Mental health in adolescents displaced by the armed conflict: findings from the Colombian national mental health survey

“…This data highlights the need to establish programs to prevent the increase in suicide rate among this group, which not only has a higher rate of suicide ideation and attempts, but also shows a higher prevalence of mental problems and social vulnerability. Finally, a higher proportion of adolescents with PTSD is observed and this result repeats itself in other similar studies [43].…”

Physical Distancing and Mental Well-Being in Youth Population of Portugal and Brazil during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Some organizations like UNICEF and UNESCO have warned that the most significant impact has fallen on children and young people, especially those with low economic incomes [42]. Due to the pandemic, different aspects of ordinary life have been altered or aggravated, such as that there are not enough sources of work, a decrease in social services, school closings, and food insecurity, for which those most affected in the medium and long term are the young population, this without delving into the fact that in many countries young people in recent years have been affected by violence, forced displacement, and poverty, among other factors [43, 44].…”

<p>Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Among Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Post-Conflict Scenario</p>

“…74,82,83 Finally, there is a lack of appropriate SRH services to address SGBV and high rates of maternal deaths, HIV, and illegal abortions among women in refugee camps, especially young women and adolescents. [84][85][86] The conceptualization of SGBV in both scholarly and policy research is far from incorporating the complexity of the underlying causes of SGBV among refugees. 87 Firstly, existing literature focuses mainly on women as victims and rarely addresses the experiences of other at-risk groups, such as men, the disabled, and LGBTI.…”