During the international conference on the restoration of Ukraine URC2024, an agreement was reached on the allocation of more than 185 million euros for the health care sector of Ukraine

The International Conference on the Recovery of Ukraine (Ukraine Recovery Conference – URC2024) was held in Berlin. The main goal of URC2024 is to unite the leaders of the governments of different countries, international organizations, business and civil society for the restoration, reconstruction, reform and modernization of Ukraine. It is about emergency assistance in meeting urgent needs, implementation of rapid recovery projects, creation of attractive conditions for business and private investments, active involvement of civil society in reconstruction processes, etc.

"International support and assistance to Ukraine is very important. Especially during a full-scale war. Currently, the Ukrainian medical system works in extremely difficult conditions. Every day we solve new tasks for the sake of saving people and do everything to survive. However, we understand that no medical system can cope on its own. Only by working together can we effectively fight and counter challenges. In order for our medical system to continue to function and develop, it is important to consolidate permanent international support for recovery, reconstruction, reform and modernization, said Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko. - We are grateful to all our international partners who help us bring our country's victory closer and work on the further development of the medical system. The Ukraine Recovery Conference is an important platform that makes it possible to establish an effective dialogue and deepen international cooperation for the recovery of Ukraine."

During the conference, several important memoranda and an additional memorandum of understanding were signed, which will contribute to further cooperation and results in the field of recovery. In addition, within the framework of the signed agreements, a total of more than 185 million euros was allocated for the recovery and development of the health care sector of Ukraine.

A framework agreement on a loan for the implementation of the project "Strengthening the Health Care and Life Saving System (HEAL Ukraine)" was concluded between Ukraine and the Development Bank of the Council of Europe (CDEB). The agreement envisages attracting additional co-financing from the BRUE in the amount of 100 million euros. Previously, 100 million was already involved for the implementation of the project.

In June 2023, Ukraine became the 43rd member country of the Development Bank of the Council of Europe. The Board of Directors of the BRUE approved the lending of the project aimed at urgent measures to support the restoration of the stable operation of the health care system of Ukraine, as well as the restoration of destroyed/war-damaged medical facilities, their modernization and efficiency improvement. Funding within the framework of the project will be carried out through proportional credit financing from the World Bank and the BRUE.

The funds will be directed by the Ministry of Health to ensure the reconstruction of important infrastructure facilities, in particular:

reconstruction of the Mykolaiv Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, as the only children's hospital in the region that provides the full range of surgical, neonatal and oncological care for children, in order to improve the conditions of providing medical care, improve the quality of medical services, as well as increase the capacity of the medical facility - from 10 thousand patients per year up to 15-20 thousand.

creation of the necessary modern conditions for complex family rehabilitation and psychological and pedagogical correction through the reconstruction and construction of buildings of the State institution "Arkadia" in the city of Odesa;

 increasing the number of children staying at the same time in the "Phoenix" complex rehabilitation center of the Volyn Regional Territorial Medical Association for the Protection of Motherhood and Childhood in order to meet the population's need for complex rehabilitation services.

Two agreements have been concluded between the governments of Ukraine and France: "Framework Agreement on Official Support of the Project on Setting Up Modular Hospitals in Ukraine" and "Framework Agreement on Official Support of the Project on Modernization of Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer".

The contract for the support of the project for the construction of modular hospitals in Ukraine is aimed at strengthening the capacity of Ukrainian hospitals. The agreement provides for the attraction of financial support for the government of Ukraine from the government of the French Republic in the form of a soft loan of 35 million euros.

The framework agreement on the official support of the project to modernize the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer provides for the equipping of health care facilities with modern medical equipment for the diagnosis of breast cancer - mammograms. The amount of project financing is more than 11.6 million euros.

An additional agreement was concluded to the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and Philips Medical Systems Nederland B.V. regarding areas of mutual interest. The agreement concerns the expansion of access to modern technological services for diagnosis and treatment.

The parties agreed to provide health care institutions with magnetic resonance imaging systems. These are cancer hospitals, regional and city intensive care hospitals, and the largest specialized children's hospitals. Philips will pursue funding opportunities to meet this need.

A memorandum of understanding was concluded between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Credit Institution for Reconstruction (KfW) and the Ukrainian Social Investment Fund (USIF). The signatories intend to jointly implement measures to promote a possible project of German financial assistance aimed at improving the health of women in Ukraine and increasing the energy efficiency of certain medical facilities. The project can be aimed at reducing gynecological oncological diseases by improving access to comprehensive prevention, early diagnosis and treatment for girls and women.

The memorandum provides for the allocation of 20 million euros for the needs of the medical system of Ukraine.

Investment resources will include:

renovation of the premises of designated primary, secondary and tertiary medical care facilities to improve the conditions for providing medical services for both doctors and patients, as well as increasing the energy efficiency of buildings;

provision of modern medical preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic means (including, possibly, vaccines against HPV) in medical facilities for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of gynecological oncological diseases and related health problems;

organization of trainings for medical workers of all levels;

informational and educational and communication activities, conducting preventive measures to increase patient awareness, etc.

A memorandum on cooperation between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Central Project Management Agency (Republic of Lithuania) was signed. The memorandum is aimed at improving patients' access to quality physical and psychosocial rehabilitation services in Ukraine.

The memorandum concerns cooperation for the implementation of a special program initiated by Lithuania regarding the development of rehabilitation centers in Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr regions, as well as strengthening the provision of rehabilitation-related services throughout Ukraine. According to the memorandum, the following forms of cooperation between the countries are provided for:

planning and coordination of activities and events, research, exchange of knowledge and experience, study visits to achieve the goals of the memorandum;

improvement and development of rehabilitation services in the Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr regions for a total amount of 15 million euros;

development, improvement and expansion of comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration services in Ukraine, etc.

A memorandum on international medical partnership was signed between the "Superhumans Center" Charitable Foundation and the German health care institution "Charité - University Medicine Berlin". The memorandum is aimed at the development of bilateral relations for the exchange of experience in the best practices of medical management, improvement of the quality of medical services and strengthening of international medical partnership.

The main directions of cooperation are concentrated in the field of rehabilitation and mental health, in particular:

⁠collaborative research and work with various mental disorders, sleep disorders, etc. in patients with experience of military trauma. Research on methods of combating the consequences of military trauma;

adopting the experience in using the method of narrative exposure therapy (a trauma-focused, scientifically based method of treating PTSD);

organization of joint educational activities, conferences for specialists in the field of mental health from different regions of Ukraine;

measures aimed at countering the burnout of health care personnel by organizing trainings from Charité specialists for the Superhumans Center team and involved teams from other regions of Ukraine, etc.

An agreement was signed between the "Superhumans Center" Charitable Foundation and Expertise France to provide financing for the reconstruction of the Superhumans Center in Odesa on the basis of the Medical University, as well as the training of a team of 15 employees who will work as part of multidisciplinary teams on the basis of this center. The agreement also provides for cooperation with Odesa National Medical University in the field of training of students-interns of OMU.

Superhumans Center was founded with the assistance of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and under the patronage of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska. The first center was opened in April 2023 on the basis of the state hospital in Vynnyky, near Lviv. The construction and operation of Superhumans involved more than 50 million dollars - mostly foreign investment. The largest donor is the American philanthropist Howard Buffett. In just one year of operation, the center has become a leader in working with complex cases and in terms of the number of patients. During the period of operation of Superhumans Lviv, more than 500 patients received full prosthetics and rehabilitation services, 648 prostheses were installed, and more than 100 face and limb reconstruction operations were performed.

The initiative to scale the Superhumans model to bring the service closer to the patient in different regions was supported by the French government – ​​the next center will be opened in February 2025 in Odesa with the support of the French government through Expertise France on the basis of Odesa National Medical University. This will make it possible to create another university hospital and combine theoretical training with a practical base. In particular, the institution plans to open a full service for patients with amputations: from psychological support, prosthetics and rehabilitation to reintegration into civilian life. The total amount of project financing is EUR 4 million.

The signing of these agreements provides for the expansion of partnership between Ukrainian and international medical institutions, which will contribute to the improvement of the quality of medical care; strengthening the direction of mental health and psychosocial services (MHPSS); creation of specialized medical centers for the treatment and rehabilitation of victims of hostilities; expansion of telemedicine/electronic healthcare networks and creation of international expert networks and exchange of experience between countries. Such cooperation will effectively influence the further development and restoration of the Ukrainian health care system.

Reference: The International Conference of Germany and Ukraine on Recovery (Ukraine Recovery Conference - URC2024) is a continuation of the cycle of annual high-level events dedicated to the rapid recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine, which have been held since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. Following the principles of the conferences on reforms held until 2022, URC2024 also demonstrates Ukraine's progress in implementing internal transformations, particularly in the context of economic sustainability and Ukraine's future accession to the EU.