WHO refugee response in Armenia

Dr Kluge with the Israeli EMT team.

At the request of the Armenian ministry of Health, a WHO-classified EMT consisting of experts in burn management was sent from Israel to Yerevan, and was the first to arrive. The WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, met the Israeli staff in Yerevan.

With the support of the European Union (EU), along with the Romanian and Belgian governments, and with the help of the Belgian First Aid and Support (B-FAST) EMT, 3 severely injured patients were evacuated from Armenia.

They were air-lifted to specialized burns centres in Belgium by a Romanian Air Force plane staffed by Romanian medics.

The EMT coordination cell, led by the Ministry of Heath of Armenia and WHO, coordinated and collaborated the evacuation.

As of 11 October, 17 burns victims had been evacuated to Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, and the United States. Four more are likely to be evacuated to Spain in the coming days.

Doctors and nurses from the Israeli EMT initiative treating a burns patient.

Many of the new arrivals require mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) – including those affected by the explosion at the fuel depot.

To meet the need for MHPSS, the WHO Country Office in Armenia has contracted implementing partners to provide this help, with the support of WHO/Europe.

So far, 10 professionals have been trained, and supportive supervision will be provided to the mental health team over the next 3 months.

For more than 100 000 people, the journey to the Armenian town of Goris – their first stop to register as refugees – had been long and tiring. The stream of cars stretched back as far as the eye could see.

Vehicles were packed with people, and most had luggage and other household belongings strapped to their roofs. Families had made the 11th-hour choice of what to bring and what to leave behind.

This mass movement of displaced people slowly passed through Kornidzor, a small town in southeastern Armenia.

The arrivals constituted the vast majority of the disputed enclave (Nagorno-Karabakh)’s former population. The route to Goris – further down the road from this border village – was heavily congested for days.

Most of the displaced people were heading to Goris and the surrounding area, where they would first be registered. After that, they could access basic services.

Armenian authorities opened this reception centre in Goris, Armenia. Here, the refugees could register, have access to health services and free transportation to other parts of the country.

Armenians first entered the registration station in Kornidzor, then a further registration process happened in Goris, at a theatre and a school.

The health needs in any humanitarian crisis, especially on this scale, are immense – such as the prevention of communicable diseases, including respiratory infections such as COVID-19; ensuring adequate and safe food and water supplies; meeting people’s mental and psychosocial health needs; and treating injuries incurred amid the conflict and during the journey to Armenia. Women and girls also face unique health needs, including those who are pregnant.

Robb Butler, Special Envoy of the WHO Regional Director for Europe said, “I have seen an incredible response.

Armenian authorities and civil society organizations are providing registration, food, clothing, water, and free transport for those who are joining their families here in Armenia.”

Butler was in Armenia on behalf of WHO/Europe to gauge the health needs and what services and supplies were needed, supporting the response of the Armenian Ministry of Health. WHO has already delivered burns kits, surgical equipment and trauma kits, as well as medicines and supplies for 50 000 patients over the course of 3 months.

On 2 October 2023, WHO graded the situation as a health emergency and scaled up its response as part of the wider United Nations humanitarian effort. As part of this response, WHO is also:

• strengthening primary health care systems and infrastructure in rural communities that are hosting refugees;
• preventing, identifying and controlling any outbreaks of disease in host and refugee populations, through public health measures, including immunization activities;
• supporting the engagement of communities and civil society groups in the humanitarian response, including listening to their needs, and providing tailored risk-communication messages; and
• building humanitarian response interventions into broader development and system strengthening to support early recovery.