Health System Development Strategy to 2030: Key Results for 2025 Presented
A regular meeting of the Health Sectoral Working Group was held at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, with the participation of the Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko.
The discussion focused on progress in implementing the Health System Development Strategy in 2025, as well as next steps and priorities for 2026.
The meeting was also attended by the Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine and Co-Chair of the Sectoral Working Group on behalf of development partners, Jarno Habicht; the Representative of the U.S. Government in Ukraine and Co-Chair of the Group on behalf of development partners, Robin Marz; Deputy Ministers of Health of Ukraine; and representatives of international organizations, diplomatic missions, and donor institutions.
During the meeting, Viktor Liashko presented the results of Strategy implementation across key priority areas, reflecting tangible changes for patients and the health system achieved in 2025.
“From the very beginning, we designed the Health System Development Strategy to 2030 as a practical instrument for change, not a declarative document. The results of 2025 confirm this: 74% of the Operational Plan activities have already been implemented, and more than 21% are at the final stage. This means that the vast majority of planned decisions have either already been introduced or will be implemented in the near future. We are consistently building a system that ensures accessible and free medical care and the resilience of the health sector in wartime and in the face of long-term challenges”
Strategic Goals and Results
The Health System Development Strategy defines three strategic goals, each of which has already delivered concrete results.
Strategic Goal 1: Universal Access to Quality Health Services
Significant progress has been achieved under this goal. Patient rights protection has been strengthened by clearly regulating the list of paid and free services in public and municipal health facilities. Centralized procurement of joint endoprostheses and an electronic waiting list for joint replacement surgeries have been introduced. A new system for assessing everyday functioning, replacing the former MSEC mechanism, has been implemented. Access to innovative medicines has also been expanded through Managed Entry Agreements.
A mechanism for reviewing the capable health care network has been developed. Currently, in 19 regions and the city of Kyiv, the network includes 583 hospitals, of which 135 are supra-cluster hospitals, 166 cluster hospitals, and 282 general hospitals. The network also includes 2,537 primary care providers and 25 emergency medical centers. In addition, the concept and roadmap for developing integrated primary health care have been approved.
Special attention has been paid to continuity of care in remote and frontline communities. In 2025, funding for primary and emergency medical services in these areas was increased. Additional salary guarantees were introduced for medical staff working in active combat zones. Eighty-three young doctors have already received one-time state payments to begin working in rural areas. A program to provide medical staff in rural and frontline communities with service housing is also being launched.
Access to medicines has been expanded. Eighty-five new medicines were added to the “Affordable Medicines” program. Mobile pharmacies were launched, and the Ukrposhta.Apteka project continues to scale up, ensuring access to medicines in remote communities. Centralized procurement of medical products and medicines exceeded UAH 15 billion, and medicine pricing was systematized through the National Price Catalogue.
Preventive care has been strengthened through the launch of the “Health Screening 40+” program for early detection of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and mental health disorders. Preparations are underway to launch an updated immunization schedule and introduce HPV vaccination.
In response to wartime challenges, medical evacuation, rehabilitation, and mental health services were further strengthened. More than 6,200 patients were evacuated abroad for treatment with the support of 33 countries. 108,000 veterans received free dental care, and more than 20,000 accessed expanded primary care services. In 2025, over 435,000 people received rehabilitation services, while the number of facilities contracted under the Medical Guarantees Program grew to 570. More than 260,000 people received psychosocial support at the primary care level.
Strategic Goal 2: Strengthening Intersectoral Coordination
This goal has been supported by a series of systemic reforms.
Institutional capacity across the health system continues to grow. The National Health Service of Ukraine, as the single purchaser of medical services, has transitioned to multi-year planning and contracting.
The capacity of the central procurement organization has also been strengthened. In 2025, the Medical Procurement of Ukraine purchased 866 medical items worth UAH 15.7 billion, covering more than 97% of needs identified by the Ministry of Health. Through the UNITED24 donor platform, an additional 48 units of equipment worth UAH 426 million were procured. Total procurement savings reached UAH 1.7 billion.
Ukraine continues to demonstrate progress in EU legal approximation. In the health sector, 92 EU legal acts have been implemented, and Ukraine received a “good progress” assessment under Negotiation Chapter 28.
International cooperation is expanding. Within the International Medical Partnership initiative, 38 new memoranda were signed. Additionally, two credit agreements with France totaling over EUR 46 million were concluded.
In 2025, 11 interagency agreements in the health sector were signed, including eight agreements implementing security commitments with Spain, Belgium, Estonia, France, Norway, Italy, Greece, and Poland. In total, 13 such agreements are now in force, aimed at strengthening the resilience of Ukraine’s health system and its capacity to respond to wartime challenges.
Strategic Goal 3: Developing National Health System Capacity
This goal is already supported by tangible outcomes.
A strong focus is placed on health workforce development. In response to staffing challenges, new approaches to training and professional development are being implemented: a pilot university hospital project was launched in Lviv; an electronic internship placement system was introduced; simulation centers were established at all Ministry of Health universities; and a systemic approach to continuous professional development for health workers was rolled out.
The eHealth system continues to expand and scale up. It now covers approximately 49,000 facilities, 475,000 medical and pharmaceutical professionals, and over 5 billion electronic health records.
During the discussion, Deputy Minister of Health Edem Adamanov presented the results of public health infrastructure projects implemented in 2025 and outlined key recovery priorities for 2026.
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine will continue to systematically advance the Strategy, ensuring its adaptation to current challenges and societal needs. Key priorities remain improving access to and quality of health services, strengthening system resilience in wartime, developing human capital, and steadily aligning national health policy with European standards.
Background
The Strategy aims to identify key health challenges facing Ukrainians and develop solutions to address them. Together with the Strategy, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Operational Action Plan for its implementation in 2025–2027 by Resolution No. 34-r of 17 January 2025.
The overarching goal of the Strategy–2030 is to create a health system in which every person can take care of their health, maintain and restore it, and receive the necessary medical care, while all those involved in service delivery have transparent and effective tools to realize their potential and influence health policy at all levels.