After the Ombudsman expressed support for our appeal to intervene in the crisis of providing psychological assistance to Ukrainian citizens, and then the Senate rejected the bill, we decided to turn to the Ombudsman again. In response, the Deputy Ombudsman, Mr. Stanisław Trociuk, enclosing the content of the appeal, sent a letter to the Ministry of Interior and Administration.
Together with representatives of 130 other social organizations, on August 22, 2023, we issued an open appeal to the Ombudsman. In it, we asked for intervention regarding psychological support for Ukrainian citizens. The Ombudsman supported our actions. Our postulate was also noticed by the legislator. The Sejm proposed extending the possibility of providing psychological services by Ukrainian citizens for another 7 months, without the need for diploma recognition. Unfortunately, the Senate rejected the bill containing this amendment.
The content and description of the action can be found here: Call for Intervention Regarding the Crisis in Providing Psychological Assistance to the Citizens of Ukraine
Due to the upcoming elections, the Sejm cannot reconvene on this matter. We therefore turned again to the Ombudsman with a question about possible further steps. In response, the Ombudsman sent an official letter to the Ministry of Interior and Administration, enclosing the content of our call.
The Ombudsman emphasizes the involvement of over 130 organizations and draws attention to the consistently high demand for psychological care for Ukrainian citizens in Poland. The letter is addressed to the Minister of Interior Affairs and the Government’s Plenipotentiary for War Refugees from Ukraine, Paweł Szefernaker. It was also received by the Minister of Health, Katarzyna Sójka, and the President of the Culturelab Foundation (Mapuj Pomoc), Monika Miłowska.
Thanks to the support of the Ombudsman, the voice of social organizations has been heard at the highest level of state administration. This is an important step towards ensuring the continuity of psychological care for Ukrainian citizens in Poland.
We appreciate the prompt response of the Ombudsman’s Office and their strong support in this important matter. We hope that our efforts will bring positive results for psychologists from Ukraine as well as for all those who need their support.
We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the content of the letter from the Ombudsman and our letter in the attachments below.