The next phase of the project ‘Increasing migrants’ access to vaccine information in the Tri-city’, funded by the National Academic Exchange Agency’s Intervention Grants programme, has been completed. As part of the project, six meetings between doctors and migrants from Ukraine were organised in February and March 2024. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions about the vaccination system for adults and children in Poland.
The meetings took place both in a face-to-face and online format. The three interventions organised in the building of the UG Faculty of Social Sciences were coordinated by Elżbieta Czapka, PhD (project manager, coordinator of the CZRUG International Cooperation programme), and Jolanta Mrozek-Kwiatkowska (CZRUG project manager). The next three online meetings were led by Irena Chawrilska, PhD (coordinator of the Culture (for) Sustainable Development programme) and Weronika Kamińska- Skrzyńska, PhD (Department of Sociology of Medicine and Social Pathology, Medical University of Gdańsk).
“As part of the intervention grant, six specialists were invited to collaborate, who on a daily basis conduct their medical practice in outpatient clinics and hospitals in: Gdańsk, Gdynia or Sopot. Many of them are socially committed in the context of education in health-promoting behaviour,” points out Elżbieta Czapka, PhD.
Migrants had the opportunity to ask questions about vaccinations for adults and children in Poland. Many people also tried to find out more about vaccinations for the elderly. However, most questions were about vaccination of children and the differences between the Polish and Ukrainian vaccination systems.
Participants in the intervention meetings also had the opportunity to learn more about the functioning of the Polish healthcare system. Practical tips on the use of healthcare facilities were provided by doctors working in them.
Project “Increasing migrants’ access to vaccine information in the Tri-city”
The project entitled ‘Increasing migrants’ access to vaccine information in the Tri-City’ is funded by the National Academic Exchange Agency (NAWA) under the Intervention Grants programme. The grant is implemented by Elżbieta Czapka, PhD (UG), Weronika Kamińska-Skrzyńska, PhD (GUMed), Irena Chawrilska, PhD (UG), Jolanta Mrozek-Kwiatkowska (UG) in close collaboration with a team of researchers from the Pandemic Centre based at the Alrek Health Cluster, Bergen (Professor Esperanza Diaz – Director of the Centre, Marta-Johanna Svendsen and Andrea Magugliani).
The project addresses a significant social and civilisational problem with both global and regionally relevant implications. It focuses on access to vaccination knowledge among refugees, disparities in vaccination calendars, low enforcement of vaccination obligations, and the anti-vaccination movements’ growing activity. Sharing knowledge, asking questions and collectively addressing concerns about vaccination can influence a sense of collective responsibility regarding public health in Poland, which can benefit both immigrants and the Polish population.
Education and engagement activities will be carried out in a foreign partnership as part of the project. The actions will consist of three stages:
- diagnosis – including discussion of the social challenges of the pandemic as well as preparation of both diagnostic and didactic and consultation materials,
- intervention and inclusion – including monitoring the invitation of other migrants and organising and carrying out interventions,
- evaluation in the Tri-city area, including conducting structured in-depth interviews, analysing the results, and preparing recommendations.
The project will end on 03.07.2024.