Europe has not experienced a refugee crisis of this magnitude since the Second World War. The Republic of Moldova, a small European nation bordering western Ukraine, has found itself increasingly in the crosshairs of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Moldova is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nor the European Union (EU), but remains an attractive destination for those displaced by the conflict due to its proximity to Ukraine and Russian-speaking communities. Relative to its population, Moldova has the highest number of refugees per capita in Europe (4.2%).

This report is an annual overview of activities led and implemented by the Migration Health Division of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2022, in close collaboration with Member States, other United Nations agencies, and partners, to respond to major health needs in the context of human mobility, meet operational challenges and advance understanding of migration health, encourage socioeconomic development through migration, and work towards ensuring respect of the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

The report provides a summary of key activities in 2022 implemented by the country missions supported by the Regional Office MHD on Health Promotion and Assistance for Migrants (H2/MA) and Migration Health Assistance for Crisis-affected Populations (H3/MP) programs in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.  

This publication is a compendium of 49 country examples highlighting efforts in improving refugees’ and migrants’ health following the adoption of the WHO Global Action Plan on Promoting the health of refugees and migrants at the seventy-second World Health Assembly, in May 2019.

The issue of the Bulletin features articles, reports, and technical briefs focusing on migrants’ access to healthcare information and services, health impacts of air pollution, as well as syndromic screening, and disease surveillance.

The audio podcast episode outlines the findings of a desk review to determine the rights of migrants to access healthcare services in the 16 Southern African Development Community Member States as well as an overview of the health challenges faced by international migrant workers globally.

Ultrasound (US) is an invaluable clinical tool. New point-of-care US technology holds great promise for hard-to-reach and mobile populations such as refugees. The implementation of US in unique and challenging settings has been hindered by cost, fragility of equipment, need for uninterrupted electricity, training, and difficulty in sharing data/image files impeding quality assurance. The recent development of more flexible, durable, high-quality, low-cost, handheld US technology has offered increased potential to address many of these barriers.

This report presents the findings on health problems of Nepali migrants, management of migrant health information, and associated stakeholders involved in migrant health issues in Nepal by means of scoping study based on both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources were the interviews with 17 key informants working on migrant health-related issues and one focus group discussion with pre-medical health assessment centres.

The issue of the Bulletin features studies and reports on topics relevant to migration and health such as COVID-19, tuberculosis, kidney disease, and reproductive health.

The audio podcast episode outlines the key findings on the health and social impact migration has on left-behind children and their caregivers in migrant households in Cambodia.

The issue of the Bulletin features studies, reports, and book chapters on topics relevant to migration and health such as disability, infectious and non-communicable diseases, mental health, border management, and human trafficking.

The audio podcast episode discusses the challenges in accessing health care and social services faced by trafficked persons in Moldova as well as the importance and utility of IOM’s health border and mobility management framework.

Background: Anecdotal reports suggest an increasing prevalence of kidney problems in returnee Nepali migrant workers from the Gulf countries and Malaysia.

Aims and Objectives: This study aims to (a) explore the magnitude of the kidney health-related problems in returnee Nepali migrant workers; and, (b) assess the need for further scientific investigations.