Q COSTA RICA — For Gelina Abrego and her daughter Jessica, crossing from Panama’s Ngäbe-Buglé region into Costa Rica means more than just starting a work season.
The journey involves immigration procedures, health screenings, and—in some cases—an overnight wait before reaching the coffee plantations.
Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health announced this week that it will step up healthcare services for the indigenous migrant population entering via the southern border during the coffee harvest.
According to the official announcement, approximately 15,000 people participate in this labor migration from Panama to various agricultural areas in Costa Rica each year. Many travel to take temporary jobs at coffee plantations in the Southern Zone, Turrialba (in Cartago), and San Ramón (in Alajuela) before returning to their communities.
Mother and daughter have been part of this circuit for three years. The harvest provides the income they need to support themselves, though access to employment hinges on a border process that can take longer than a single day.
After completing immigration formalities, individuals entering through the San Marcos de Sabalito sector in Coto Brus must undergo testing for malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases, according to the Ministry of Health.
The Coto Brus Health Oversight Area is responsible for the screenings. Hazel Vargas, the director of that office, noted that all migrants must undergo the check to identify potential cases of malaria—a disease Costa Rica aims to eradicate.
“Those who test positive receive immediate care, and we contact Panamanian authorities,” Vargas stated, according to the release.
The measure aims to facilitate access to medical care and identify health risks while the workers are in transit. The border between Costa Rica and Panama in this area spans approximately 90 kilometers—a distance that impacts institutional response capacity and the transport of individuals arriving from Indigenous communities to join the agricultural workforce.
Temporary shelter for those unable to complete the process in a single day
Not everyone manages to meet entry requirements before the workday ends. For such cases, a temporary shelter operates in Río Sereno, offering a place to spend the night, receive food, and find protection from the elements while awaiting the continuation of the process the following day, according to Costa Rica’s health authorities.
The facility accommodates nearly 40 people and is maintained at no cost by Rosenda and John Harmon, a U.S. couple. The Ministry of Health is currently working to formalize the site’s status so it can continue operating in compliance with current regulations.
The availability of shelter prevents families and workers from being exposed to the elements while waiting; however, capacity is limited relative to the volume of people crossing the border during the coffee harvest season.
The situation faced by Gelina and Jessica Abrego reflects a dynamic that plays out every year at the southern border. The arrival of Ngäbe-Buglé (the largest and most populous of Panama’s six comarcas indígenas) workers helps meet seasonal labor needs in the coffee sector; however, for the migrants themselves, the journey entails a mix of temporary employment, health screenings, documentation procedures, and uncertainty regarding how long entry will take.
The Ministry of Health announced that it will coordinate actions with the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the Immigration, and representatives of the coffee sector. The stated goal is to improve health, safety, and the dignified treatment of people crossing the border for work.
For families who rely on this route, the outcome of these efforts will be measured in concrete terms: the speed of administrative procedures, access to medical check-ups, a place to sleep when there aren’t enough hours in the day, and the ability to reach the farms without the border becoming an additional obstacle.