The genesis of the regional partnership – the South eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) started in 2000. Yet, one of the first preparatory meetings that set the SEEHN foundation was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 07-08 April 2001.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Health’s desire to assist the pressing necessity for a regional partnership hosted the first-ever multi-country meeting of the SEE countries. The process was supported and funded by the Council of Europe (COE). The fruitful discussions were targeted on methodological issues of the future network content, the assignment for each country to write a report for the next two months on its health situations, vulnerable populations, and on how mutual problems to be solved was accepted.

Three months later, at the end of June 2001 a second event of the SEE countries´ representatives was hosted by the COE in their official offices in Bucharest.

This meeting was based on the state reports carried out for the first time after the huge changes that had taken place in their health systems. The delegates defined common challenges and topics for the future regional cooperation and approved one project proposal for each of the represented SEE country.

It has to be noted with recognition that the event ended by defining and agreeing of the first ever principles for cooperation in health between the SEE states.

Two months later the first Ministerial Forum was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 31st August – 01st September 2001 that led to the SEEHN establishment. In addition, the history of a wide health partnership began in the SEE Region.

The South-eastern Europe Health Network (www.seehn.org) acting as a regional alliance for peace, health, well-being, development and prosperity in south east Europe is inviting all Member States’ representatives to spread the word and make a strong advocacy at national level for the World Health Worker Week, April 3-7 and join the Frontline Health Workers Coalition in calling on policymakers around the globe to Invest in Health Workers!

The SEEHN is urging all regional policymakers to continue to share our joint call to action in the weeks and months following World Health Worker Week, when finance and other ministers, as well as heads of state, gather at key high-level meetings. In order to keep the momentum toward policy change & investment for health workers, all SEEHN partners are invited to join the Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, April 3-5 (https://healthandcareworkforce.org/).

The SEEHN is sharing some top policy recommendations to promote the “Invest in health workers – for health for all” week:

1. Allocate increased, dedicated funding for long-term health systems and health workforce;
2. Train and employ new health workers and retain existing health workers to meet health needs;
3. Ensure safe and decent work for all health workers, including women and community health workers;
4. Safeguard a healthy environment for mental health of the health care workers and their general well-being;
5. Integrate community health workers into national health systems and pay them fairly;
6. Involve frontline health workers—including women, nurses, midwives, and community health workers—in health policymaking.

 “To achieve health for all, ensure an equitable response to health emergencies, improve gender equity, and more, finance ministers, other policymakers, and donors must make long-term investments in the global health workforce and enact gender-responsive policies to support and protect them” is the key message that the SEEHN is promoting for the World Health Worker Week in 2023!”

As the war in Ukraine entered the second year, the EuroHealthNet Partnership and SEEHN, the South Eastern Europe Health Network, express their concern about its pro-longing and lasting impact on mental health of Ukrainian refugees. Peace and security are among the most fundamental determinants of health and wellbeing. The longer the conflict, the greater the impact on mental health. The people of Ukraine continue to struggle, whilst their communities are being destroyed and many face challenges accessing essential services and goods, like medical and public health services, notably mental health support.

While in the early days of the war, a major focus was on providing acute and emergency care to the Ukrainian refugees, the response since has been shifting to addressing medium- and long-term resilience and recovery assistance. There is a need to address the increase in stress-induced addictions (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, poor quality diets), which are paired with the rising cost of living crisis and increased risk of gender-based violence. The prolonged, heightened levels of stress and anxiety that children and adolescents are facing will affect them across their lifetime and impact generations to come.

” Findings from a Multi-Sector Needs Assessment in Moldova, conducted by several national and international stakeholders^[1], showed that health was one of the identified primary needs of Ukrainian refugees. Those living in private or refugee accommodation centres reported higher psychosocial support needs than those refugees hosted by Moldovan families.” said Dr Svetlana Nicolaescu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Health Moldova

“Many veterans in Bosnia and Herzegovina still have post-war traumas, even over 20 years after the war ended. They need support and opportunities to re-integrate in work, as research has shown material insecurity is a huge risk factor for the continuation of trauma. Children, as witnesses of war events, are another vulnerable group who need preventative psychological support and timely access to trauma-focused psychotherapy.” said Dr Biljana Lakic, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, SEEHN nominated Focal Point on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Civil Affairs, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

“In Slovenia we plan to invite psychologists from Ukraine to act as mental health mediators. They will work alongside Slovenian professionals and provide psychological support to those in need. Generally, mental health services have been strengthened as part of primary health care centres in the community”. said Dr Evita Leskovsek, Public Health Specialist, the Centre for the Development and Study of Health at the National Public Health Institute in Slovenia.

Speaking at a Roundtable organised by EuroHealthNet and SEEHN, representatives of neighbouring countries* of Ukraine and hosting refugees, collectively highlighted the added value of:

• Sharing and applying collective knowledge, continuing improving skills and capacities on how to work in multi-disciplinary ways to improve resilience and mental health across sectors
• Investing in children and adolescents’ mental health and psychosocial well-being, also to prevent a prolonged and intergenerational transmission of trauma as the war continues
• Providing support to daily living and working conditions of carers, including their own mental health, and including training for non-professionals and volunteers, valuing community-based support
• Encouraging social inclusion, employment, sense of belonging and connections, material security, and inclusive education and care for those most in need.

Public health agencies across Europe, particularly from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries, remain committed to joint efforts to ensure positive mental health and psychosocial well-being for the over 8 million Ukrainians displaced by the war.

EU support, as well as international organisations and Partnerships like EuroHealthNet and SEEHN are valuable to help exchange good practices and strengthen capacities to support mental health where needed. The upcoming EU initiative on mental health, which the European Commission is expected to present in June this year, should also include dedicated support to addressing mental health needs of the Ukrainian refugees.

* The neighbouring countries that participated in the Roundtable are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Hungary, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Slovenia.

[1] REACH Initiative (REACH), in partnership with UNICEF, ECHO, UNHCR, and in cooperation with the Refugee Coordination Forum, the sectoral working groups and taskforces.

ENDNOTES & RESOURCES:

• Ukraine crisis: Supporting neighbouring EU Member States and Moldova (healthrelated matters) – EuroHealthNet/SEEHN 2022 meeting report
• EuroHealthNet Statement: EuroHealthNet calls for more integrated, coordinated European action to ensure the fundamentals of good health in the face of conflict, March 2022
• War in Ukraine: one year on “Supporting neighbouring countries to address Mental health challenges” – A EuroHealthNet and SEEHN policy roundtable
• EuroHealthNet responds to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the EU comprehensive approach to Mental Health, February 2023
• SEEHN in partnership with EuroHealthNet organized the Webinar War in Ukraine: One Year on Supporting Neighbouring Countries to Address Mental Health Challenges, held on 31 March, 2023, online
• Multi-Sector Needs Assessment for Moldova, September 2022

Joint Statement – EuroHealthNet and South Eastern Europe Health Network call for integrated, coordinated and forward-looking action on recovery-oriented mental health of Ukrainian refugees

Today’s meeting marked one year since the war in Ukraine started on 24 February 2022. This meeting is a follow up of the SEEHN- EuroHealthNet meeting held on 12 April 2022 between national health institutes and authorities in the countries neighbouring Ukraine.
This webinar had a two-fold purpose: 1) To discuss common and specific challenges related to mental health and psychosocial support mechanisms for Ukrainian refugees faced by members from EuroHealthNet’s and SEEHN’s networks. 2) To discuss which further support is needed or can be given, in terms of connections, information, joint advocacy and/or proposals for joint implementation measures of the public health institutes.
Representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, North Macedonia and Slovenia joined the discussions.
The countries have offered different healthcare services and psychosocial support to the migrants from Ukraine, yet, efforts are needed to improve access and bring them closer to the communities.
A joint Statement of EuroHealthNet and SEEHN shall follow early next week!
Stay tuned!

The meeting discussions built upon the results of the WHO EURO High-Level Meeting on Health and Care Workforce, held on March 22-23 in Bucharest.

The sessions focused on addressing the surging challenges faced in a rapidly changing political environment (workforce shortages and imbalances), migration and its impact on regulation alongside maximizing new opportunities for health offered by powerful enablers, like research and digitalization.

Dr Dasic participated in the first session 1: “Managing Recruitment and Retention of Nurses and Midwives in the WHO European Region” and reflected on the different strategies currently followed to prevent burnout among the workforce in the SEE Region.

For over a decade, SEEHN has ranked high mental health, placing it upfront on the agenda of the health ministries across the SEE region. Among other highlights Dr Dasic underlined  the need for prioritizing healthcare workers well-being, through fostering teamwork and communication, and promoting resilience, for a better quality of care.

SEE Health Network remains committed to assisting its member states  in this transformative process!

Congratulations to Romanian order of nurses and midwifes and Ministry of Health of Romania for the excellent organization of this event.

Dr Mira J.Dasic had an opening video address during the training workshop for public health professionals and SEE journalists on public health partnership with media to communicate science during health emergencies, that took place in Vienna, Austria on 21-23 March 2023. The Workshop is organized by the Southeast European Center for Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases (SECID), designated as SEEHN Regional Health Development Center on communicable diseases, under the framework of the project “Improving influenza program and enhancing influenza and other viral respiratory pathogens through integration of all existing surveillance systems and using one health surveillance approach”.

The main aim of the training workshop was to introduce SEE journalists and public health specialists to different approaches to risk and science communication and partnerships using examples such as the emergency challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and others.
The workshop brought together journalists and public health professionals from SEE countries to reinforce the role that media can play in a public health emergency response through accurate, ethical and responsible reporting.

Link to the video address

Digital health literacy is a public health issue that potentially creates barriers for digital transformation in health systems. This requires informed policies to be addressed in Europe and globally.

The European Union, CEI and WHO Regional Office for Europe organized the event Improving Digital Empowerment for Active Healthy Living (IDEAHL) initiative jointly. The initiative is funded by the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Commission and engages 14 European partners in the consortium coordinated by the Ministry of Health, Asturias in Spain.

The aim of IDHEAL is to empower EU Citizens in using digital tools and taking more active role in the management of their own health and well-being as well as supporting innovations for coordinated person-centered models and to create a comprehensive and inclusive EU strategy for improving digital Health Literacy – (d)HL.

It gathered around 150 virtually policymakers, representatives of national and regional authorities and other organizations across Europe, and around 70 participants in presence at the European Parliament.  

The occasion was a momentum for the European IDEAHL project to present the (d)HL mapping results that lays the foundations of the Strategy, and it will provide an illustration of (d)HL in Europe and beyond.

The meeting also used the opportunity to exchange experiences: knowledge sharing on how to empower European citizen in regards to d(HL) as a key component of the Strategy. Participants were involved in the identification of obstacles, difficulties, and areas of improvement.

Dr Dasic represented the SEEHN and its 9 member states within this block of discussions, advocating for better health and well-being in the South Eastern Europe. Digital health being one of tools that can accelerate greatly that objective. The pandemic was a turning point in the last two decades’ progress that particularly enabled all digital services. It created the set-up for a jump leap in digital services across the world, and SEE Region was not an exception.

In this respect, Dr Dasic pointed out the remaining big themes of concern common for all: the interconnectivity, data sharing, privacy and security.

She also dived into the particularities of the South Eastern Europe region, health literacy being an area requiring big efforts from both health professionals and population. Several areas of intervention that shall be envisaged to drive progress were highlighted:

1. To explore the population’s level of digital maturity and digital readiness to use healthcare services;
2. to enhance digital literacy in health-care professionals and the population at large;
3. to explore the different electronic health records interoperability as a facilitator of multidisciplinary teamwork;
4. Enhance multidisciplinary and teamwork towards integrated and networked care, aiming for cross-country cooperation;
5. leverage the full potential through digital solutions of NCDs, healthy ageing, population health management, and an optimized role for nursing within the team work.

The event was also a great opportunity of co-creation of the (d)HL Strategy: the involvement of a wide range of policymakers that represented the key element for the success of the project and the Strategy to be developed. Finally, it fosters innovations for integrated person-centered care models while also allowing EU individuals to use digital technologies and take a more active part in managing their own health and well-being.

Please find the Agenda here.

WHO Collaboration Center for Leadership and Governance in Nursing invites you
to participate in a webinar:
How to amplify the voice of Healthcare professionals
By Etti Rosenberg
March, 29^th, 2023
15:00-16:00
(GMT +2)  (UTC +2)  (CET -1)
The lecture is in English
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82017432797?pwd=TEFmeUdITDBXRGFPamxVRXhLejlTQT09
Meeting ID: 820 1743 2797
Passcode: 484657

Madam First Lady, Representatives of Ministry of Health of North Macedonia, Ambassadors of the SEEHN member states, representatives of partner organizations and dear SEEHN friends gathered today in Member’s of Parliament Club in Skopje to celebrate the 10th anniversary from the Inauguration of the Seat of the Secretariat of the SEE Health Network in Skopje.
“Today the SEEHN Secretariat is a fully functional administrative body, with experienced personnel dedicated to its main goal, which is to ensure better health and well-being among the peoples of the SEE region. It also provides space and support to each member state, partner, organization, and each person involved to move forward.”, said Dr Mira Jovanovski Dasic, Director of the SEEHN Secretariat
“The Republic of North Macedonia recognized the importance of such regional cooperation in health and has been part of this success story from the very beginning. Ten years ago the Agreement for the Seat of the Secretariat of the SEE Health Network was ratified and North Macedonia became the host country of the SEEHN Secretariat. The Secretariat became the leader of a new era in the development of the SEEHN Network by providing support for the successful functioning of all the member states activities through the voice of their professionals and experts, by translating their proposals for mutual cooperation into reality”, emphasized the Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of North Macedonia, Dr Maja Manoleva

Guests also enjoyed the short video presenting the development of the Network and Secretariat, available here.