Providing urgent health care to migrants in Belarus
During a recent visit to Belarus, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, spoke with migrants at the border with Poland and met with local and national authorities and nongovernmental organizations on the ground.
The WHO team visited a temporary shelter as well as health facilities where migrants were being treated. Since visiting Belarus, concrete steps have been taken to improve primary health-care provision and sanitation facilities for migrants in the border region. WHO/Europe continues to provide support, including medical supplies and advice on mental health services.
All too often, refugees and migrants are unable to access health care. WHO/Europe works with partners around the world to help ensure nobody is left behind in this way. Next year, WHO/Europe will host a high-level meeting on health and migration in Istanbul, Turkey, to find a common way forward and mobilize political commitment for the health of refugees and migrants.