The meeting
was attended by representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and the CIS Executive Committee.
During the
meeting, the experts reviewed the suggestions and comments received from the
member States of the Commonwealth. Following the discussion, the document was
approved by a majority vote and will be submitted to the CIS Council of Heads
of Government in due course.
The draft
agreement is aimed at increasing the access of migrant workers and their family
members to medical care during their stay in the country of employment.
It is noted
that the issue of medical care for migrants is relevant for the CIS countries
and other countries of the world. Many migrant workers, especially those
employed in low-skilled jobs, face limited access to health services,
insufficient social protection, financial and linguistic barriers.
Currently,
the provision of emergency and emergency medical care to citizens of the CIS
countries located in other CIS countries is regulated by international
agreements of 1997 and is provided free of charge. At the same time, planned
medical care is provided on a fee basis.
The new
document provides for the main areas of cooperation between the CIS countries
in the field of voluntary medical insurance for migrant workers and members of
their families, and also defines the procedure for providing relevant services
in the territories of the member states of the agreement during the period of
employment by migrants.
