Migration process of Venezuelan women to Brazil: living conditions and use of health services in Manaus and Boa Vista, 2018–2021

Abstract

Background The last decade saw the emergence of a new significant migration corridor due to the mass migration of Venezuelans to neighboring countries in South America. Since 2018, Brazil became the third host country of Venezuelan displaced populations. Little is known about how migratory processes affect needs, access to social programs, and public health services of migrant women. The goal of this study is to shed light on the socio-economic profile, living conditions, and use of health services of Venezuelan migrant women in two main reception cities in Brazil. Methods A survey was conducted using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) in the cities of Boa Vista (Roraima), and Manaus (Amazonas). The study included 2012 Venezuelan migrant women aged between 15 and 49 years old who migrated from Venezuela to Brazil between 2018 and 2021. Relative prevalence was calculated, and the χ2 test was used to analyse the homogeneity of proportions. All analyses considered the complex sampling. Results The main reasons for migrating relate to difficulties obtaining food (54%) and accessing health services (37.8%) in their country of origin. They were young and mixed race (65.7%) and had high school education (69.9%). In Manaus, 3.7% of the interviewees declared that they had no family income in the last month, while in Boa Vista, it was higher (66.2%) (p-value < 0.001). Almost one-third of them sought health care in the last 15 days, and 95% of them received care. The residents of Boa Vista arrived more recently and family income and access to paid work improved with time of residence in Brazil. Conclusions Given the increasing flow of Venezuelan migrants crossing to Brazil, a reception system was established for the provision of food, shelter, access to health services, and income transfer programs to migrants. This was the case despite high unemployment and poverty levels and income inequality, particularly in the city of Boa Vista. However, the majority had legal migrant status and had access to the public and universal healthcare system in Brazil (SUS). The use of the SUS was similar in both cities, acting as a buffer for the differences in opportunities offered.

Using Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) to Identify the Healthcare Needs among Women of Reproductive Age Who Migrated from Venezuela to Brazil, 2018–2021

“…The Venezuelan migrants who live in this city have been in Brazil longer and immigrated with a better level of education. There has been a process of “migratory impoverishment”, and the women who migrated to Boa Vista have been in Brazil for less time and have a lower level of education [ 14 ].…”

“…In Brazil, the Public Health System is universal and free of charge to all people [ 13 ], including migrants. Among the main reasons for the migration of Venezuelans to Brazil is access to healthcare [ 14 , 15 ].…”

“…The survey originated from the need to study women of reproductive age who migrated from Venezuela to Brazil from 2018 to 2021. Collecting information from this population group is essential to monitor their health conditions and identify problems with access to and the use of health services to support improvement strategies [ 14 , 18 ].…”