(CNN) – The UN’s migration agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has called on governments not to forget migrants as they start to plan coronavirus vaccination programs.
Dr. Jaime Calderon, a senior regional health adviser for the IOM, told a meeting of the South-Eastern Europe Health Network that migrants should be factored into public health and vaccination plans.
“Vaccines are among our most critical and cost-effective tools to prevent outbreaks and keep communities safe and healthy,” he said, according to an IOM news release Friday.
“For everyone to thrive, countries must intensify efforts to ensure that no one is left behind and all migrants — no matter their legal status — have access to the life-saving benefits of vaccines.”
The South-Eastern Europe Health Network links countries including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and North Macedonia, each of which is a source country and increasingly a transit country for migrants, the IOM says.
“Some 30,000 migrants passed irregularly through the region this year, about the same as previous years, despite pandemic restrictions,” the news release said.
Harsh winter weather conditions and seasonal flu are likely to place regional health services under great strain, the health forum heard.
“This is bad news for the tens of thousands of migrants in the region,” said Calderon. “All too often, migrants encounter obstacles in accessing health services — due to language and cultural barriers, fees they cannot afford, and lack of inclusive health policies.”
This story was first published on CNN.com, “UN migration agency urges countries to factor migrants into vaccine distribution plans”
