BOGOTA/NEW YORK, October 21, 2024 — Earlier this month, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) resumed activities at the Lajas Blancas migrant reception station in the province of Darién, in southern Panama. Seven months after MSF was forced to suspend activities in Panama. Authorities have approved MSF teams to undertake a three-month medical response by MSF, allowing the medical humanitarian organization to provide medical and mental health care to migrants crossing the Darién jungle, and support the local community, which have been greatly affected by the crisis.
“During the first two weeks of our activities, we saw that the health needs of those leaving the Darién jungle continue to be immense,” said Carlos Estrella, MSF project coordinator in Darién. “In 10 days, we carried out about 280 medical consultations in Lajas Blancas, including 72 patients with symptoms of mental distress.”
MSF teams have also treated patients for diabetes, hypertension, and epilepsy, and provided contraceptives and consultations to pregnant women. The team has also seen and treated victims of sexual violence.
Since 2022, MSF has witnessed the multiple health risks faced by people who cross the Darién Gap, the only land route between North and South America, on their way north to the United States and Canada. This migration has also had an impact on the local community, as health centers have been overwhelmed by the increase in consultations.
Some 260,000 migrants have crossed the Darién so far this year, according to the latest figures released by the Panamanian migration authority.
“This new collaboration will help MSF provide access to health care for people in extreme need,” Estrella said. “That is why we welcome this decision and are committed to continue working closely with the Panamanian Ministry of Health to provide comprehensive health care to people crossing the jungle and to the local community in the area.”
The MSF team in Darién includes doctors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers.
Beyond Darién, MSF teams carry out medical and humanitarian activities to assist people on the move in different parts of the Americas, such as in parts of Central America and Mexico. The teams constantly adapt to a changing migration route. Until the end of September 2024, MSF was also supporting a response in Costa Rica focusing on migrants.
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