Event highlights
17 April 20205
In a significant step towards advancing equitable access to health care for refugees and migrants, the WHO Country Office in Romania, in collaboration with the Health and Migration Programme at WHO headquarters, conducted a comprehensive training for national health partners. This initiative is part of a joint project undertaken by the European Union (EU), WHO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to improve access to health-care services for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine.
On 9–10 April 2025, health professionals and mediators from across Romania participated in a 2-day training on refugee and migrant health, focusing on Global Competency Standards for health workers. The standards equip health workers with the core skills and knowledge needed to deliver culturally competent, people-centred and inclusive care, while ensuring that services are responsive to the specific health needs and lived experiences of displaced populations.
Training highlights:
- people-centredness – participants learned to provide health care that is equitable and culturally sensitive, addressing barriers to care and improving refugees’ experiences;
- communication – the training covered effective communication strategies to overcome language and cultural barriers in health-care settings;
- collaboration – emphasis was placed on strengthening interagency coordination to support comprehensive health-care services for refugees;
- evidence-informed practice – health workers were trained to integrate research and policy into their practice, ensuring evidence-based care; and
- personal conduct – ethical considerations, confidentiality and informed consent were key topics, ensuring that health-care delivery is both professional and compassionate.
The training was led by the Health and Migration Programme at WHO headquarters and featured interactive sessions, group discussions and expert panels, creating a dynamic hands-on learning environment.
An online follow-up assessment meeting is planned.
Voices from the front lines
Participants shared their reflections, highlighting the relevance and impact of the training.
“The course was extremely interesting to me and very interactive. I have learned many new things that will be helpful in my work as a psychologist and police officer, as I work daily with refugees and migrants from all over the world,” stated Angelica from the Romanian Immigration Office.
Another participant, Adrian, a Red Cross nurse, shared, “From now on, I will try to think about all the areas and competency standards that we discussed and apply them to each and every patient.”
Lucreția, a psychologist for the University Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, expressed, “For me, it is very important to know how to position myself in relation to these patients. I am leaving these training sessions with a different approach towards displaced persons and migrants.”
“This was a great opportunity to meet many professionals and expand my professional network, and I appreciate the fact that we acquired many skills that we can apply directly in our work with people from various backgrounds, including migrants and refugees,” added Adina, a midwife from the health partners group.
A growing community of practice
This initiative aims to contribute to the Country Office’s efforts to build a sustainable community of practice among health workers and mediators. Through ongoing knowledge exchange and capacity-building, the goal is to foster a coordinated and inclusive health response for refugees and migrants, specifically those affected by displacement from Ukraine.
The training is the latest in a series of activities that include a high-level roundtable on streamlining health services for Ukrainian refugees and a regional workshop with key representatives from the ministries of health of Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia, focused on addressing challenges related to war-induced migration.
By integrating the Global Competency Standards into national training efforts, the WHO Country Office in Romania, along with WHO headquarters’ Health and Migration Programme and partners, is committed to improving health-care outcomes for refugees, migrants and host communities, ensuring that no one is left behind.
WHO is working with the EU and IOM to support countries in improving access to health-care services for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine. The project, titled “Improving access to health care for refugees and people displaced from Ukraine benefiting from temporary protection in EU Member States”, is funded by the EU as part of the 2023 EU4Health work programme. It is being implemented from 2023 to 2025 in 10 European countries: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia.