Symposium on continuity of cancer care for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova
Chisinau - In line with GCM objective 17 to address and reduce vulnerabilities in migration and SDG 3 on health, the IOM Mission to Moldova has been providing cancer diagnosis and treatment for 790 Ukrainian refugees and third-country nationals in partnership with the Oncology Institute and the Blue Heron Foundation since May 2022.
Building on this experience, the IOM in Moldova, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Moldova and the Oncology Institute organised the symposium "Continuity of cancer care in Emergencies, Approaches Treatment for Ukrainian Refugees and host communities in the Republic of Moldova” on 16 June in Chisinau. The symposium provided an overview of cancer-relevant policies and practices with a special focus on refugees and migrants including evidence-based approaches to cancer diagnosis, screening, and treatment. Key findings of the study “Continuity of cancer care and Treatment for Ukrainian Refugees in the Republic of Moldova” were presented, including sex-disaggregated numbers of refugees who have sought cancer care and treatment since February 2022, and a breakdown of the different malignancies. The symposium also served to review and discuss country-specific challenges, knowledge, and practices, and an exchange of ideas about available resources, models, and best practices to ensure continuity of care and achieve “universal health coverage” in the context of displacement.
At the symposium were present Alexandru Gasnas, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Italian Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, H.E. Lorenzo Tomassoni, Roberto Menia from the Italian Parliament, Lars Johan Lönnback, Chief of the IOM Mission in Moldova, Dr. Ruslan Baltaga, Director of the Oncological Institute, Republic of Moldova, Dr. Enrico Cassano, Director of Breast Radiology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy, Dr. Horia Vulpe, Director of Cancer Care Programs, Blue Heron Foundation, California, USA.
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For more information, please contact:
Riccardo Severi, Project Officer - Media and Communications, IOM Moldova
rseveri@iom.int
