The Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization Hans Kluge, who is in Chisinau on a visit, underscored a number of public health vulnerabilities related to the flow of Ukrainian refugees. In a news conference given together with Minister of Health Ala Nemerenco, the WHO official underlined the importance of psychosocial support offered to the refugees, IPN reports.

Answering reporters’ questions, Hans Kluge said he would classify the necessities into three groups. First of all, the refugees need psychosocial support as they are persons who experience great suffering. There are children who are sometimes separated from their parents. Special attention should be devoted to mental health issues. The second group of needs is the treatment for noncommunicable diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The people interrupted their treatment owing to this war and it is important to resume it as soon as possible.

COVID-19 is the first among communicable diseases that Hans Kluge put into the third group of necessities. Only one in three Ukrainians had got a vaccine and it is therefore very important to continue the immunization process here, in Moldova. It is as important to ensure vaccination in the case of other communicable diseases, such as poliomyelitis or tuberculosis, said the WHO official.

Hans Kluge noted that according to the experience of the previous crises, the refugees should not be treated as a danger to the health of host countries. “We promote the idea of ensuring very detailed diagnostics for these persons and of addressing this situation as a possibility of continuing the treatment of refugees in the host country.”

For the host country, this means that the Ministry of Health has to increase investments in healthcare. The treatment protocols need to be harmonized and access to medicines that these people administered before leaving their country should be ensured.

Hans Kluge also said that since this war in Ukraine started, the WHO has supported the Government of the Republic of Moldova, coordinating the responses to the crisis situation, helping identify the available resources and attract resources from elsewhere and determine the critical needs of the refugees. Helping the countries involved in supporting their neighbors and offering humanitarian assistance for assisting them to cope with these challenges are the WHO’s priority.

There are about 100,000 Ukrainian refugees in Moldova at present. Nearly half of them are children.