On the 9th of March, EUCOMS members and its partners had a meeting concerning the situation in Ukraine and the refugee crisis that is going on in Europe nowadays. Rene Keet (Netherlands), Ionela Petrea (Netherlands), Peter McBride (Northern Ireland), Jana Chihai (Republic of Moldova), Serhiy Mykhnyak (Lviv, Ukraine), Juanjo Martínez Jambrina (Spain), Tiberiu Rotaru (Siret, Romania) presented the situation in each of their country and how they handle the situation regarding the help they provide to those in need.

In the neighbouring countries, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Poland, the support towards Ukrainians is strong. There are local authorities, national authorities, NGOs, citizens all over the countries are in a position to offer food, shelter, medical help, administrative guides, and a warm hug. There are humanitarian transportations every day that take the refugees from the border to other cities or even abroad in Europe to reach the rest of their families or friends. In the city Siret in Romania, the time spent by a refugee is from 2 to 36 hours until they depart to another big city or another country. The solidarity we’ve seen in the bordering cities is overwhelming.

We can see that all over the world, especially in Europe, people are more supportive and united than ever. Everyone tries their best to find a way to help those who run away from the places where they used to call “home”.

Dr Serhiy Mykhnyak, director of a psychiatric hospital in Lviv, Ukraine thanks all the Europeans for all the support and the solidarity the whole continent brings together. The fact that Europeans help and host the mothers and children from Ukraine is a great sign of respect and an anchor for Ukraine’s nation to thrive.

Coming to the health system, Ukraine needs now more than ever support with humanitarian donations. There is an acute need for psychotropic medication. These are produced in the combat zone near Kyiv and therefore, can’t reach the town of Lviv. Fortunately, medication is expected to be sent from Germany. Also, hospital supplies are necessary.

On Friday, March 11, the directors of psychiatric hospitals have a meeting and will discuss their needs.

An important message to all our members, partners, and readers: if you come across refugees who have mental problems and if they need support, they can reach out to the EUCOMS network so that we can facilitate the connection to mental health services in Ukraine. Undoubtedly, in most of the countries where our partners are, they will encounter refugees from Ukraine, so we step in and offer our psychological support and training for trainers’ expertise.

All our best wishes with warm and open arms towards the Ukrainian nation,
EUCOMS Network