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Three fully equipped medical clinics and isolation wards have been installed at border crossing points in southern Albania by IOM and UNHCR, supported by the European Union.


Accommodation units and sanitary facilities for 18 people were installed at Kakavija, while hand-washing stations were established in Gerhot and Kakavija. Digital information screens were installed at all three crossing points, with information on COVID-19 measures.


“Covid 19 has brought many unknown challenges in our daily efforts to support migrants,” said Arben Joço, Director of Regional Directorate for Border and Migration Police at a socially distanced ceremony last week. “We are grateful to IOM Albania and EU for providing medical supplies and equipment, which will enable us to guarantee to migrants a healthy, safe and protective environment during their registration and/or stay in the three Migrant Registration and Temporary Accommodation Centres,”


Alma Jani, Head of Office of the IOM Mission in Albania said: “as we mark Global Goals Week, we are delighted to work alongside the Albanian Government to address Covid-19 challenges and to protect migrant rights, as a critical target on the 2030 Agenda. The medical equipment and supplies installed today are a tangible example of our joint efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.”


The eight million Euro project ““Addressing COVID-19 Challenges within the Migrant and Refugee Response in the Western Balkans” runs from April 2020 until July 2921. It supports the main migration and asylum management actors in the region to address the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain services.


For further information on the project, please contact IOM Albania National Focal Point: Alketa Gaxha agaxha@iom.int

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