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4 results
  • Article (10)
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Page
10 February 2023
UNICEF Emergency Response in Hungary
https://www.unicef.org/eca/unicef-emergency-response-office-hungary
Background Access to primary healthcare remains a challenge for refugees in Hungary due to language barriers and limited capacity of national health systems to absorb increasing numbers of patients. It is therefore important to remove bottlenecks that hinder access for Ukrainian refugees to critical health services, immunization, advice on adequate nutrition and feeding practices for babies and children, as well as mental health and psychosocial support.   UNICEF’s response In December 2022, UNICEF partnered with the Municipality and the University of Debrecen, and the NGO Dorcas Ministries to increase access to health services and promote adequate nutrition and good feeding practices for both refugee and host community families. More than 6,800 children, parents and caregivers are expected to be reached with these services by the end of 2023. Through the collaboration with the University of Debrecen, UNICEF is procuring medical containers in refugee camps. These are staffed with health professionals, including Ukrainian health workers to provide services such as immunization, early childhood development, specialized mental health support, health promotion and health education.
Page
04 October 2022
UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland
https://www.unicef.org/eca/poland
It’s vital those who’ve fled this brutal war have access to health care. Around 90% of the over 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees registered by the Polish government are women and children. This is a mother-and-child displacement crisis that has put much extra pressure on Poland’s public healthcare system. Low immunization rates in Ukraine mean that refugees are also at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.   UNICEF’s health response in Poland is focused on preventing diseases through vaccines, building healthcare capacity and capability and looking after the specific needs of mothers, children and newborns.   “I believe that vaccination is important for children, for the entire population of the country. I think even during the war, we shouldn’t stop, because dangerous diseases are still nearby.”  Kateryna, a mother of two from the Kiyv region of Ukraine, now living in Poland. UNICEF/UN0705564/Strek UNICEF/UN0705564/Strek The solution  In partnership with the Ministry of Health and municipalities, we’re reached more than 500,000 refugees with information on essential child vaccinations via national and local campaigns. Our cooperation with the Ministry of Health also ensured the availability of critical supplies for routine childhood vaccinations.   In close cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Poland and national partners, we provide refugee families with information on access to health services. We have ensured health screening of refugee children and caregivers identified as vulnerable and have worked with municipalities to provide essential health supplies and access to healthcare.   In partnership with the Ministry of Health, we have developed a programme to support the primary health care of up to 200,000 women and children from Ukraine. To achieve this UNICEF has made a commitment to cover 50% of the cost of health care services provided to Ukrainian refugee women and children made by the National Health Funds to health care providers across the country in the period of February 2023 to August 2023. This is a significant investment in the health and wellbeing of the refugee population.  “My toys are back in Ukraine. My bed is there as well. I also miss my friend Danya, we used to play a lot.” Mykyta, 6 after receiving his vaccinations at a medical centre in Krakow In the area of infant and young child feeding, we’re working closely with the Ministry of Health and a local NGO, to encourage mothers to exclusively breastfeed and to provide information and support to ensure refugees are able to feed and care for their babies and young children as they adapt to life in a new country. We have established lactation groups in 10 maternity hospitals across the country to provide peer and expert support. When breastfeeding is not an option, our partnership with the Ministry of Health and a local NGO ensures control of the distribution of formula to refugees and alternative options, such as milk banks, to make sure it is accessible, affordable and safe for babies.  In addition to the promotion of infant and young child feeding, we’ve provided warm meals and complementary food to children in youth camps, preschools and primary schools, as well as accommodation centres. 
Page
02 July 2020
‘RM Child-Health’: safeguarding the health of refugee and migrant children in Europe
https://www.unicef.org/eca/rm-child-health-safeguarding-health-refugee-and-migrant-children-europe
More than 1.3 million children have made their way to Europe since 2014, fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty in their own countries. They include at least 225,000 children travelling alone – most of them teenage boys – as well as 500,000 children under the age of five. In 2019 alone, almost 32,000 children (8,000 of them unaccompanied or separated) reached Europe via the Mediterranean after perilous journeys from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and many parts of Africa – journeys that have threatened their lives and their health. Many have come from countries with broken health systems, travelling for months (even years) with no access to health care and facing the constant risks of violence and exploitation along the way. Many girls and boys arriving in Europe have missed out on life-saving immunization and have experienced serious distress or even mental health problems. They may be carrying the physical and emotional scars of violence, including sexual abuse. The health of infants and mothers who are pregnant or breastfeeding has been put at risk by a lack of pre- and post-natal health services and of support for child nutrition. Two girls wash a pot in the common washing area of the Reception and Identification Centre in Moria, on the island of Lesvos, in Greece. Two girls wash a pot in the common washing area of the Reception and Identification Centre in Moria, on the island of Lesvos, in Greece. Child refugees and migrants also face an increased health risk as a result of crowded and unhygienic living conditions during their journeys and at their destinations. Even upon their arrival in Europe, refugee and migrant children and families often face continued barriers to their health care, such as cultural issues, bureaucracy, and a lack of information in their own language. Southern and South East European countries are at the heart of this challenge, struggling to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children. And now, an already serious problem is being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Refugee checks on his son
Page
17 January 2023
UNICEF Emergency Response Office in Slovakia
https://www.unicef.org/eca/unicef-emergency-response-office-slovakia
Context Although Slovakia grants “urgent and necessary health services” for Ukrainian citizens registered for Temporary Protection, many Ukrainians face challenges in accessing support. What is “urgent and necessary," however, is often left to the judgment of individual doctors, creating a situation in which quality of health care received by refugees can vary significantly. Ukrainian children tend to have significantly lower vaccination rates compared to Slovaks and front-line health workers are not trained to deal with vaccine hesitancy. The key challenge in the mid-long term is the management of chronic diseases, control and management of infectious and communicable disease, and provision of specialized mental health services and psychological support. In addition, there is a shortage of doctors, particularly pediatricians and nurses, with some regions being underserved even before the crisis. Under the existing legislation, Ukrainian health workers can provide services only under the direct supervision of a senior Slovak health worker, due to the shorter academic curriculum and mandated training required for doctors in Ukraine. UNI396419 UNI396419 UNI396419 UNI396419     UNICEF’s Response Support to recognition of qualifications of Ukrainian health workers is one of four areas of cooperation between UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, in addition to immunization and early childhood development, specialized mental health support, as well as health promotion and health education, including through parenting programmes. In collaboration with the Regional Health Authority in Bratislava, UNICEF supports the provision of primary healthcare services in the Bratislava region, hosting over 30,000 refugees, including more than 12,000 children. Services are provided by two general practitioners, two pediatricians, one gynecologist, and one psychiatrist under the supervision of a senior Slovak doctor. Pediatricians and breastfeeding counselors are integrated into the Blue Dots in Bratislava, Košice and Michalovce. UNI396390 UNI396390 UNI396390 UNI396390   Since 15 July 2022, primary healthcare services have been provided to over 43,000 children and women through UNICEF-supported mechanisms, including consultations for mental health, referrals to higher levels of care, and vaccination of children against measles, polio, and so on.

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