On June 3, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan a Round Table “Migrant health and remote registration for people living with HIV abroad” took place in the partnership of REG, “Istiqbolli Avlod” and AFEW Kyrgyzstan.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the health of migrants in the context of HIV, issues of remote registration for people living with HIV outside their countries, current issues of safe migration.
Representatives from five countries of the region participated at the event. Experts of State bodies, international and non-governmental organizations, as well as communities of PLWH from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan shared their experience on maintaining health programs for citizens who are staying abroad.
During the meeting, results of the study “Access to medical services, care and health support for labor migrants living with HIV in the Republic of Uzbekistan”. Colleagues from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan shared their experience on implementing programs on remote treatment and providing ART for their citizens who are abroad.
This experience of the Republican AIDS Centers of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has become a key element of the discussion. Representatives of Uzbekistan Republican AIDS Center, the Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance of the Republic of Uzbekistan and other participants supported the idea of promoting remote registration and treatment of citizens with HIV who are abroad and are unable to return to the country to start treatment.
In addition to the experience of the national AIDS centers, International Organization for Migration of Uzbekistan informed participants about the forthcoming study in the framework of a large-scale project to assist migrants in the country. Also, the participants of the event were acquainted with service projects on assistance to migrants with HIV in receiving countries – AFEW’s project “Health of migrants”, REG’s project “Steps to Health” as well as projects aimed at migrants in Kazakhstan.
The key theme during the meeting was the issue of proving coordinated assistance for citizens, regardless of their place of destination.
The Regional Expert Group on Migration and Health highly appreciates the attention of Uzbekistan State bodies on remote registration and treatment of their migrants and expresses its readiness to continue the dialogue and fully support the work to preserve the health of migrants and harness the spread of HIV in region.