Title of the project: "Reintegration of returnees by increasing their access to health care and improving their health"
Donor: The project is funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The services within the project are part of the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for voluntary return and sustainable reintegration, implemented in Albania by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Project implementation areas: Lezha, Elbasan, Berat, Tirana
Duration of the project: February 2021 - May 2023
Target-group:
- Returnees from migration and their families
- Vulnerable groups (focusing on patients with chronic diseases)
Objective of the project:
To facilitate the reintegration process of returnees from migration, by improving their access to basic health care (including mental health care) and the social status of their families, with a focus on vulnerable groups (chronic patients)
Expected results:
- Factors and barriers related to health have been identified and brough into attention;
- Access to health care and psychosocial services for 120 returnees from migration and their families through direct service provision, has been increased;
- 10 returnees from migration with emotional and psychological health issues in Berat, Elbasan, Lezha and Tirana, have been supported with psychological counselling;
- 200 returnees and their family members informed about the functioning of the health care system in Albania and the means on how to require and receive services;
- 20 returnees and their families and 30 medical staff, social workers, employment office workers, informed about legal changes to the disability benefit scheme according to the bio-psycho-social model;
- 50 health coordinators and support staff have improved their ethical communication and professional skills, with a focus on returnee's health care;
- 5000 persons reached, including returnees from migration and their families, informed about the healthcare system and their rights as patients.
Main activities:
- Elaboration and sharing of the study "Assessment of health-related factors affecting migrats and potential asylum seekers";
- Organization of the National Workshop with the main stakeholders, to present the main findings of the study;
- Direct services for beneficiaries, to increase their access to health services in the three levels of the public health system;
- Psychological counselling support for beneficiaries with emotional and psychological health issues, through provision of counselling sessions by mental health professionals;
- Information and education of beneficiaries through informative sessions on the health care system, referral system functioning, their rights as patients, the legal changes of the disability scheme and steps how to benefit from it;
- Increasing the capacities of health and psycho-social care providers through trainings on the returnee patient's needs and the barriers they encounter in services receiving, communication and building relationship tools for the improvement of the patient well-orientation; as well as regarding the new legal changes on the disability scheme;
- Empowering the network of collaborators for the identification and supporting of the returnees, facilitating their reintegration process;
- Production of informing and guiding materials such as videos and leaflets.
