Risk communication, community engagement and infodemic management in humanitarian emergencies: lessons from the Ukraine war
https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/28-02-2024-risk-communication--comm...
“When the long-running conflict in Ukraine escalated into full-scale war in February 2022, millions of people nationwide were confronted with situations that they had never experienced. Many people found themselves at a new location within or outside of Ukraine, often in distress due to family separation or the experience of violence. Their need for clear information from trusted sources, guidance on maintaining their health, and feeling engaged in the co-design of response activities increased. Tailored RCCE-IM interventions can improve the ability of displaced people to navigate and access hosting health systems for treatment and prevention, but also give people a sense of orientation and belonging, thus increasing their well-being.
“Supporting refugees to navigate host health systems
“From the very start of the war, WHO worked closely with national health authorities to ensure that Ukrainians received relevant health information and advice when and where they needed it,” said Dr Nino Berdzuli, WHO Representative in Poland and WHO Special Envoy to Refugee Receiving Countries.
“Many needed urgent access to lifesaving care for long-term conditions. Expecting mothers needed to understand how to access antenatal care. When people had arrived in a foreign land without their health records, vaccination certificates or medication, accessing crucial information in their own language was a lifeline.”
HIFA Profile: Richard Fitton is a retired family doctor - GP. Professional interests: Health literacy, patient partnership of trust and implementation of healthcare with professionals, family and public involvement in the prevention of modern lifestyle diseases, patients using access to professional records to overcome confidentiality barriers to care, patients as part of the policing of the use of their patient data Email address: richardpeterfitton7 AT gmail.com
