Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
© UNHCR/Eugenia Ciurca
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova joined forces with the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and the non-governmental organization Low Vision to launch two temporary eye clinics this summer.
The clinics offered free ophthalmological services for refugees and Moldovans during five days in Chisinau and Ungheni.
Veronica, a 69-year-old refugee from Ukraine, was happy to get an eye exam and two pairs of new glasses, free of charge. “I appreciate this act of kindness. When you need to save money, the cost of services like these become prominent,” she said. “I will be 70 years old in August; I’ve been through two major wars in my life, and I simply want peace.”
Veronica found safety in Moldova after fleeing Russian shelling that broke the windows of her home and damaged her hearing, which made it harder to get around on top of her limited eyesight. Support like the free clinic is one of the reasons why she felt secure here. “I cannot fully describe how I felt when I crossed the border into Moldova; it felt as if I had been expected here for a while. For a moment, I forgot about the horrors I fled.” she recalls.
OneSight’s technicians worked alongside local volunteers, including from NGOs, students from the Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova, and the Ungheni City Hall. The clinic offered services to anyone who showed up, Moldovans and refugees alike, regardless of where they were from. In addition to helping provide eyecare services to the public, the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation will donate the equipment they brought to the Low Vision Centre, and conduct training sessions for local colleagues and university students.
Irina, a Moldovan woman from Chisinau, also received a free ophthalmological consultation and a pair of glasses at the mobile clinic. ” My job involves working with small details: I sew purses, bags, and other accessories,” she explains. “It’s great that now my work will be easier.”
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Mobile clinic offers free eyecare services for refugees and Moldovans
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion arrivals from Ukraine. Over 100,000 refugees from Ukraine have chosen to stay, the majority of whom are women, children and older people.
UNHCR continues to assist refugees and vulnerable communities in the Republic of Moldova thanks to the generous support from the European Union, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Denmark, and the United States of America.
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