"Medical refuge - To make you feel at home"

The armed conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2022, put millions of citizens at risk and triggered a severe humanitarian crisis. Medical Refuge was a project that consisted of primary health care appointments for refugees from various countries, in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Almada and Seixal). The main goals of this study are to describe the project and characterise the medical appointments.

This is an observational, cross-sectional study, covering the working period of the Medical Refuge project: April to September 2022. Medical appointments were booked by patients using a "walk-in clinic" model, with scheduling via email or telephone.The variables included were: age, gender, nationality, type of appointment, reason for appointment and vaccination status.

A total of 136 medical appointments were conducted, mostly for Ukrainian refugees (96.5%). Patients represented all age groups, with those aged 0-9 and 30-39 years comprising nearly 50% of the total; about 71% of patients were female.This project included several types of appointments, including services for children and pregnant women. Regarding vaccination, 14% of patients had an incomplete or unknown status.

The Medical Refuge project is one of many examples of how European responded to the mass displacement of Ukrainian refugees caused by the conflict with Russia, which placed additional strain on national healthcare systems.The war in Ukraine brought renewed attention to the issue of refugees and migrants. This project highlights the importance of integrating, rather than marginalising, vulnerable populations.