Since 2020, both organizations have signed a $5.7 million agreement paid by UNHCR that has been used to provide medical services to nearly 13,000 refugees in Costa Rica.

"Today, thousands of people in very vulnerable situations have access to the health system thanks to the agreement with Social Security," UNHCR representative Milton Moreno said. "This has a much more important dimension during a global context in which access to health for all people is key to overcoming the pandemic."

According to Social Security, this agreement became more important during the pandemic "at a time when the need for resources for the health sector increased," the organization said in its statement.

Costa Rica spent $279 million in 2020 in attention to the national health emergency caused by the pandemic, according to the Ministry of Health.

During the World Refugee Forum in 2019, health authorities committed to creating a health insurance mechanism for refugees with chronic health problems.