U.N. pays $1.8 million-plus for medical attention to foreigners in Costa Rica

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From March 6 to Sept. 30, free medical attention has been given to approximately 57,400 foreigners have been related by covid-19.
- UNHCR photo -

Published Friday, October 23, 2020

U.N. pays $1.8 million-plus for medical
attention to foreigners in Costa Rica

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Social Security announces its plans for continuing to give free medical care to foreigners infected with covid-19.

One of the strategies is the agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, is that $1,808,964 is calculated to attend 6,000 foreigners per year, independently of the legal status of the person in the country.

During the national emergency due to covid-19, declared on March 6, more than 16,000 foreigners have been confirmed infected by the virus, according to the Ministry of Health.

Following the principles of equity, equality, unity, and universal healthcare, people are seen if their health condition is affected, regardless of their immigration status. In the context of the pandemic, attention should be given to as many people as possible, Mario Ruiz-Cubillo, Manager of Social Security said.

According to Ruiz, the challenge due to the migratory-health emergency has been enormous because in most of the border zone there are many unauthorized crossing points where people transit.

From March 6 to Sept. 30, medical attention has been given to 410,003 people who have been related by covid-19. Of these, 14% were foreigners who were treated in Social Security clinics, emergency rooms and hospitals.

In the area of medical consultation, one of every three people is foreign-born. Of these, 80% were diagnosed positive for covid-19.

In the case of medical attention in the emergency room, 1 out of every 2 people are foriegn-born. Of these, 66% tested positive for covid-19.

With regard to hospitals, in the first seven months of the health emergency, 966 foreign-born people have been hospitalized, an equivalent to 15% of the total of patients hospitalized. Of the total number of foreign-born people attended in hospitals, 30% required intensive care unit hospitalization.

Other strategies for continuing to provide medical attention to foreigners are:

• Detainment of covid-19 patients at border posts. Early detection of suspected cases is carried out at the borders. In the case of foreigners infected with covid-19, they are sent to carry out the quarantine period to a shelter or a hotel.

• Search for cases and their contacts. Specialists made visits to communities, places of passage for migrants and taking care of homeless people to apply covid-19 tests.

• Isolation for migrants with covid-19 or those suspected of being infected. Shelters were set up for people infected with covid-19 and their contacts. This measure was put in place in case the sick foreigners did not have a place with the necessary conditions to stay in quarantine.

• Medical care in agricultural companies in the northern zone. Specialists are visiting companies and agricultural farms located in the northern zone of the country, to carry out massive tests and detect covid-19 patients.

Specialists have visited 120 farms and agricultural companies. Of these, 61% were located in the cantons of Upala, La Cruz, San Carlos, Pococí, Los Chiles, Guácimo, Sarapiquí and the district of Peñas Blancas.

In those inspections, 4,315 people were attended, of which 31% were foreigners.

In addition, 159 covid-19 diagnostic tests were made, of which 22% resulted positive and 96 people were sent to quarantine.

• Packages with food and sanitizer supplies, in addition to medical treatment were given as aid to foreign-born people classified as impoverished in the country infected with covid-19. They had to comply with the quarantine.

• Covid-19 diagnostic test application to foreigners. Within the medical services to foreigners, whether they pay for health insurance or not, the covid-19 diagnostic test is being applied to them at any public clinic.

According to Social Security, free care to foreigners will continue, regardless of their immigration status or health insurance status.

Meanwhile, the contagion of covid-19 continues to quickly spread all over the country.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health reported the following updated statistics of the covid-19 contagion in the country:

• 1,191 new covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 38,203 active cases.

• 16,394 foreign-born people have been infected with a total of 100,606 cases since March, approximately 16.3% of the total cases. Of these, authorities confirmed the death of 32 foreign-born patients.

• 513 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 197 patients are in ICU’s in delicate health conditions (ages range from a 1-year-old to a 91-year-old). And 316 patients are in recovery rooms. Many of the remaining infected patients are quarantined in their homes.

• 61,162 coronavirus patients have fully recovered, which is a 60.8% recovery rate of the total cases since March.

• 1,251 deaths of people infected with covid-19, approximately 1.2% death rate of the total cases since March. Of these 477 women and 774 men. The ages range from a 9-year-old to a 100-year-old person.

Since Friday, Oct. 16, authorities stopped providing the updated statistics on people who have been ruled out and the number of medical covid-19 tests that have been made.

Readers can see the updated number of total patients in each district at the National Distance Education University on its Covid-19 Map.

As of Thursday night, the pandemic has killed 1,135,880 patients worldwide, according to recent statistics reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering, CSSE, at Johns Hopkins University.

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What have you heard of a foreign-born person in Costa Rica infected with covid-19 needing medical attention? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com