Submission ID 131527
| Issue/Objective | Colombia hosts the largest population of displaced Venezuelan migrants globally, with nearly three million individuals residing in the country. Although Colombia formally guarantees universal access to HIV care for migrants with regularized status, Venezuelan migrants living with HIV continue to face substantial structural barriers to accessing timely and continuous HIV care. This study aimed to (1) document the HIV care continuum among Venezuelan gay and bisexual men (GBM) living with HIV in Colombia, and (2) examine the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in supplementing gaps in the formal health system. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Between 2024 and 2025, we conducted 26 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Venezuelan GBM living with HIV in Colombia. Interviews were transcribed, double-coded, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. |
| Results | Participants had a median age of 33 years. Ten (39%) were diagnosed prior to migration, while 16 (62%) were diagnosed after arrival in Colombia. Most migrated between 2017 and 2019, during a period of severe political and health system collapse in Venezuela. A minority of participants accessed HIV care through the public health insurance linked to employment status, while others accessed through the SISBEN regime, which is available for those with precarious socioeconomic status. However, many relied on NGO-provided services for HIV testing, access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and psychosocial support. Barriers to formal care included irregular migration status, administrative hurdles, and systemic fragmentation, patterns consistent with broader evidence documenting restricted access to HIV services among Venezuelan migrants. Participants also described how internal mobility disrupted continuity of care as the healthcare system in Colombia is not transferable by departments, with NGOs often acting as critical entities ensuring treatment access and continuity. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Findings highlight a fragmented HIV care landscape in Colombia in which NGOs play a central role in ensuring continuity of care for migrants. While these organizations mitigate immediate gaps, reliance on these systems raise important equity concerns regarding the national health system in Colombia. Strengthening equitable HIV care in Colombia requires not only formal NGO policy inclusion but also structural reforms that address administrative barriers, migration precarity, and the integration of community-based actors into coordinated health system responses. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Julien Brisson Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal Mariangela Castro-Arteaga University of Toronto Yeferson Vélez Agudelo Mas Que Tres Letras Aarón Zea Mas Que Tres Letras Amaya Perez Brumer University of Toronto |
