Former chief sanitary inspector of the Russian Federation, Gennady Onishchenko, has called for mandatory health screenings and vaccinations for migrants before entering the country.

Onishchenko suggests that Russia should negotiate with countries of origin to arrange for preliminary medical exams and vaccinations.  He argues that if foreign specialists are needed, the country should set clear conditions for their entry.

“If we’re recruiting migrants, we need to establish conditions for their stay,” Onishchenko stated, as reported by lenta.ru.

He emphasized that Russia currently cannot do without migrant workers, who fill crucial positions in various industries.  As an example, Onishchenko mentioned janitors, many of whom are migrant workers, noting that they “do important and good work.”  He also stressed that, rather than imposing bans, the focus should be on enhancing health monitoring of migrants.

Onishchenko urged authorities to draw lessons from previous experiences, such as during the spread of HIV/AIDS, when countries signed agreements to ensure that only migrants who underwent medical testing and held proper documentation could enter.

“Back then, we signed agreements with countries, specifying that their citizens must arrive with medical clearance. We trusted some countries and accepted their documents, while for others, we conducted tests ourselves.  Now, we need to bring order to the migration service. If necessary — vaccinations!” Onishchenko concluded.