Providing urgent health care to migrants in Belarus

9 December 2021
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.

 

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In the WHO European Region, 1 in 8 people is an international migrant.

“Migration is a defining phenomenon of our time – one that is essential to the social, economic and cultural vitality of our Region. At the same time, the world is undergoing rapid change, and so too must our approach to migration and health,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

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Everyone has the right to health, but migrants can face challenges in accessing health care related to legal status, language barriers and lack of resources.

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In recent weeks, around 2000 people, including 500 children and 500 women, have been stranded in Belarus at the border with Poland, with winter weather setting in. 

WHO/Europe organized a field mission on 19–24 November 2021 to assess the health situation of these migrants, and to work with local authorities and partners to implement concrete activities to improve their health and living conditions. 

Here, Dr Kluge discusses the challenges facing migrants in this border region.

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During the mission, the WHO team visited the temporary shelter where migrants were staying, as well as local hospitals and health facilities providing specialized treatment and referral services. 

Many migrants had coughs and respiratory infections and lacked care for existing conditions such as diabetes and asthma.

Water and sanitation facilities and health services were limited at the temporary shelter, and it also lacked permanent heating and adequate ventilation.

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“We have been at the border for several weeks and our main task is to meet the basic needs of migrants. First of all, this involves assistance in organizing meals and putting together hygiene and food kits. It is also very important to provide psychosocial support, especially for children, and to help people re-establish family ties. People need warm clothes, blankets, mattresses and practical help, of course,” explained Mr Dmitry Rachkovsky of Belarus Red Cross in the city of Vitebsk.

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“We welcome you and are grateful you are here at this difficult time. The best specialists, who can assist us, are here today. We are fully open and ready to cooperate on any issues,” emphasized Dr Dmitry Pinevich, Minister of Health of Belarus, during the mission.

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Two-year-old Lanny and her mother were admitted to Grodno Children’s Regional Hospital overnight. She had a high temperature and intestinal dysfunction, and was in a moderate condition. Thanks to the efforts of medical staff, the little girl’s condition improved and she was discharged.

Here, Dr Kluge visits Lanny at the Regional Hospital.

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Now, additional toilets and showers have been built, primary health-care services have increased, and national health authorities are working in close cooperation with universities to strengthen mental health services for migrants. This progress followed discussions between WHO and Minister of Health Dr Pinevich, the Governor of Grodno Region, local authorities and partners.

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Two days after the mission was complete, over 1 tonne of medical supplies was delivered by WHO/Europe to support migrant health needs in the border region. The medical kits can address the emergency health-care needs of 10 000 people for 3 months.

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European and central Asian countries host approximately 36% of the global international migrant population, and WHO/Europe will continue to support their changing health needs. 

Practical solutions, partnerships, and new priorities for health and migration covering the challenges of COVID-19, climate change and population dynamics will be discussed by experts and politicians from different regions at a high-level meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, in March 2022.

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