The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has decided to dispatch an Emergency Humanitarian Assistance and Cooperation Needs Assessment Mission in the Health Care Sector (Second Assessment Mission) to Ukraine’s neighbor, Moldova, to assist displaced persons in Ukraine and neighboring countries. The six-member mission, consisting of medical personnel and JICA staff, will leave Japan on April 5, and after entering Moldova will join the first mission, which is currently in the country.
The first survey team, which has been on dispatch since March 19, has been conducting surveys by utilizing the network that JICA has cultivated through its long years of cooperation in the Moldovan healthcare sector. In cooperation with the Moldovan Ministry of Health and other related organizations, the team visited shelters that are receiving displaced people and local medical institutions, exchanged opinions, and identified needs for future cooperation in the fields of health care and emergency humanitarian assistance. The survey team also participated in the WHO’s Emergency Medical Team Coordination Cell (EMTCC), where they analyzed data on patients examined by medical teams from various countries and coordinated the appropriate distribution of aid from each country, thereby utilizing the know-how that Japan has accumulated through its past emergency disaster relief activities. The second mission is coordinating assistance by utilizing the know-how that Japan has accumulated through its past disaster emergency relief activities. The second mission will take over these activities, identify the needs of the displaced people in the field of health and medical care, and coordinate assistance from each country to meet the needs of the displaced people.
Approximately 388,000 people have entered Moldova from Ukraine, many of whom have moved outside of Moldova, such as to Romania, while 96,000 remain in Moldova. With a population of approximately 2.64 million and a per capita GDP of $4,523 (IMF survey, 2020), there is concern about the shortage of medical services in Moldova. JICA will continue to provide maximum cooperation with neighboring governments, international organizations, and other partners.
© Source JICA