Nicaraguan exiles face healthcare barriers in Costa Rica

Nicaraguan exiles in Costa Rica are reporting significant obstacles in accessing healthcare services, despite the country’s universal healthcare model. Refugees have cited a lack of social security affiliation, xenophobia, and language barriers as primary impediments to receiving care.

Urania Castrillo Molina, an exile who fled Nicaragua in 2018, has reported facing xenophobic treatment and difficulties securing specialized treatment for breast cancer due to a lack of insurance and resources. Similarly, Susana Marlei Cunningham, a Miskito indigenous woman living in the La Carpio community, highlighted that many Miskito women struggle to access medical services due to missing documentation, lack of insurance, and the inability to communicate in their native language within the institutional system.

Ana Quirós, director of the Center for Information and Advisory Services in Health (CISAS), noted that while the Costa Rican system is presented as free, certain requirements and administrative hurdles create barriers for these populations.