IOM in Belarus, together with government bodies and civil society organizations, continues to work on improving migrants' access to healthcare. 

As part of the project “Supporting National Capacities in Migration Health Focusing on Communicable Diseases”, funded by the IOM Development Fund and implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health, IOM is promoting the implementation of the best international practices to expand access to healthcare for vulnerable populations in Belarus. 

One of the main tasks of the project is to conduct interagency events to strengthen the capacity of government bodies to effectively address migration and health issues. International experience shows that even in the absence of discrimination in migrants' access to healthcare, the processes of providing medical assistance may not take into account cultural, linguistic, social peculiarities and other needs of migrants, which leads to delayed diagnostics, ineffective treatment, and the preservation of risks of infectious and non-infectious diseases for both migrants and the general population. 

On 28 December 2023, a meeting of national partners was organized to discuss the draft compilation of educational materials on migrant health prepared by IOM international experts. During the discussion, national specialists discussed the relevance and applicability of educational modules to the Belarusian context and the current situation regarding vulnerabilities and needs of migrants in the field of health described in a recent IOM study. Participants of the meeting made a number of valuable and constructive proposals for improving the design of educational materials, expanding the range of teaching methods and tools, and taking into account the needs of target groups in the learning process. 

Like other project activities, the meeting contributed to better coordination of interagency cooperation on migration and health issues, improved understanding among a wide range of national partners, and strengthened the commitment of project participants to create a healthcare system in Belarus that takes into account and meets the needs of migrants in a sustainable and long-term perspective.