“There are no slots, unless you know someone”: perception of access to health services by Congolese women residing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Data on the health of black women and the presence of this topic in national journals remain scarce, especially considering the frequent use of the primary care network and the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS, acronym in Portuguese) by these women. In this article, we take an intersectional perspective on the categories of gender, race, class, and nationality interlinked to the concept of “social capital” to analyze the perceptions of healthcare services by Congolese women residing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2018. A qualitative study was conducted, consisting of participant observation and eight semi-structured interviews conducted at a refugee shelter (Cáritas RJ). The narratives of these women reveal the impact of daily violence on their experiences upon arriving in Brazil to seek shelter. Mistrust, language limitations, and lack of knowledge contribute to the lack of social capital and inaccessibility of services. As black women compose a large group of individuals that use the SUS, their active participation could exert an impact on their experiences with these services. The existence of spaces for listening to vulnerable groups, such as Congolese refugees, is another strategy for promoting equity and universal access to health for everyone.

Keywords:
Access to Health Services; Women; Shelter; Racism; Social Capital