WHO Regional Director for Europe: When people are forced to flee their homes because of violence, their health needs move with them

Interview for Interfax news agency of Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe

- How does the war in Ukraine affect Europe’s overall health care system?  

- About 6 million Ukrainians are now refugees because of war. Most of them are in neighboring countries. While they have been welcomed with open arms, they are also adding considerable strain onto the health systems of host countries.  

WHO is supporting neighboring countries to address the main health issues among refugees including mental health and psychological assistance as well as treatment for diseases including TB, HIV and cancer.  

When people flee conflict and other humanitarian disasters, they need access to a spectrum of health services and medicines. There are several ways in which host countries can ensure that these services are provided to all. 

WHO has released new guidance on how host countries can adjust health financing to meet the needs of people fleeing conflict, to ensure that incoming refugees can access a full range of health services quickly and without financial or administrative barriers. 

Reception centres that offer compulsory or voluntary health checks are often the first places where new arrivals can get information on local health systems and secure access to health services. Many countries in the WHO European Region, including Austria, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Republic of Moldova and Romania, are performing health checks in reception centres. 

Several countries in Europe provide only limited entitlement to publicly financed health services to refugees and asylum seekers. Countries should consider extending entitlements to people fleeing conflict and ensure that the process of