Positive are the results collected at the end of the intervention implemented by CUAMM Doctors with Africa in collaboration with The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in Chisinau, Moldova with the twofold objective of providing healthcare to refugees populations and boost emergency preparedness among health workers in Moldova therefore strengthening the national health system.
Through the partnership between CUAMM and UNICEF, two health centres in Chisinau have been supported, over 1.000 women and children received medicaments and drugs and more than 1.900 consultations were performed to vulnerable refugee populations fleeing the Ukranian conflict while more than 1.000 people have been reached with informative and awareness raising materials on health and hygiene.
«In the centres we have offered healthcare to a wide range of people of different nationalities, most of them were mothers with children who came here alone, without their husbands, fleeing Odessa because of the war. Among the elderly women we mainly care hypertension and cardiac problems while children suffer from respiratory diseases, stress and trauma. They arrive seeking primary healthcare but also emotional support and that is what we have been able to guaranteed to them» said Irina Pavalache– CUAMM doctor.
With the aim to offer quality healthcare services in peripheral facilities and strengthen the national system, education was considered a key component of the intervention. Through training activities and provision of quality equipment the intervention aimed to foster the preparedness and efficiency of peripheral facilities. The training program was designed with the ultimate goal of improving medical teams’ emergency response capabilities and fostering knowledge dissemination among colleagues for sustainable impact. A multidisciplinary team of 100 local doctors have been trained in a seven 16-hours training sessions delivered by 4 local trainers from IMAC Hospital of Chisinau and 6 international experts, 2 mentorship sessions were offered to 14 local mentors to ensure the sustainabilty of the activity and 14 local doctors participated in a Train the Trainers (ToT) program. The aim was to develop skills in transmission, leadership, and mentoring for the hospital teams. Additionally, all maternity units of the 7 hospitals were equipped with low-fidelity manikins and neonatal resuscitation equipment.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Moldova have sheltered the largest number of refugees: 89.000 refugees have been registered in the country. To June, according to data from UNHCR, Moldova hosted 108.889 Ukranian refugees; 51% of them is settled in rural areas and only have access to peripheral health facilities. Boosting the expertise of different health professionals in peripheral facilities was key to ensure adequate response in case of emergency and mitigate the burden on central facilities.
Starting from April 2022, CUAMM has been operating in Chisinau – the capital of Moldova – where the team provided basic medical care to the Ukrainian population through Emergency Medical Teams. The assistance offered aims not only at ensuring continuity of treatment and follow-up to Ukrainian refugees, as well as preventing the deterioration of minor illnesses; but also preventing the already fragile Moldovan health structures from being overwhelmed by the influx of refugees.
