Ukraine: Commission allocates €9 million for mental health assistance of Ukrainian refugees

The European Commission has mobilised €9 million from the EU4Health Programme to assist people fleeing Ukraine in urgent need of mental health and trauma support services. This additional EU funding will allow the International Federation of Red Cross Societies and non-governmental organisations to support healthcare professionals to carry out their work. It will also provide mental health services in the form of psychological first aid, triage, psychological trauma support and counselling to refugees in their own languages.Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, said: “Russia’s brutal aggression in Ukraine has laid bare the horrors and scars of war. It has forced millions of innocent people, many of them children and vulnerable, to flee the only homes, lives and livelihoods they have ever known for a path of uncertainty. We must offer essential mental and psychological support to all those who need it. With this additional funding, we will ensure that this assistance is quickly provided on the ground with the help of our partner organisations. It is also a tangible example of our commitment to supporting Ukrainian refugees as they start to rebuild their lives.” In addition, the Network ‘Supporting Ukraine, neighbouring EU Member States and Moldova’ under the Health Policy Platform aims to address the health needs of Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons. The website of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control also offers training courses and e-learning modules on migration and health, available in the 24 EU languages. More information is available online on EU4Health funding allocation and on healthcare for displaced persons from Ukraine.