Commonwealth Experts Discussed Migrants Health Monitoring Issues

Minsk hosted round table “Observation and Monitoring of Migrants Health Status. Experience of Interagency Cooperation”, organized at initiative of CIS Working Group on Tuberculosis.

Representatives of Commonwealth countries, Interstate Statistical Committee of the CIS, Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS, WHO Regional Office for Europe, International Organization for Migration, Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, Belarus Red Cross and CIS Executive Committee took part in the event.

Based on national data, Working Group assessed accessibility of specialized medical care for labour migrants in region.

Experts noted that Commonwealth countries maintain systematic registration of tuberculosis patients. However, effective monitoring of migrants health requires strengthening interagency cooperation. It is necessary to establish permanent data exchange among healthcare authorities, internal affairs bodies, migration and border services, social protection and statistics agencies, as well as parliaments and international organizations.

Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS was represented at round table by Secretary of the IPA CIS Permanent Commission on Social Policy and Human Rights, Executive Secretary of the IPA CIS Expert Advisory Board on Public Health Evgenia Vladimirova.

She shared with participants experience of the Assembly in preparation of Review of Legislation in Field of HIV/AIDS and Migration in CIS Countries, developed jointly by IPA CIS Permanent Commission on Social Policy and Human Rights and International Committee of the Red Cross. The speaker noted that visa-free space of Commonwealth countries ensures freedom of movement for citizens, while simultaneously creating common epidemiological space.

The Review identified necessity of developing common legislative approaches among CIS countries to expanding access to healthcare services in prevention, detection and treatment of HIV, including for such categories as labour migrants and forcibly displaced persons. The document presents all legislation of Commonwealth countries regulating migration issues and access to healthcare services related to HIV.

Taking into account analysis presented in the Review, Model Law on Equal Access to HIV Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment in CIS Countries was adopted in 2021.

Representative of the Assembly stressed that this model law establishes foundations of legislative mechanism regulating migrants access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, primarily those of social significance.