Ministry of Health and UNICEF opened a Care Space for Children in Kyiv on World Health Day
On April 7, World Health Day, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), opened a Care Space for families with children at Primary Health Care Center No. 4 in the Desnianskyi district of Kyiv. This is one of 210 spaces being developed across the country by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF to expand families’ access to services for children and to support healthy child development from the very first days of life.
At Care Spaces, families with children can access comprehensive services near their places of residence, including immunizations, breastfeeding support, early developmental screenings, parenting counseling, and early intervention services.
The opening ceremony was attended by Viktor Liashko, the Minister of Health of Ukraine, and Anne-Claire Dufay, the UNICEF Representative to Ukraine. During their visit, they familiarized themselves with the operations of the Primary Health Care Center and toured the newly established Care Space for Children and early intervention services.
The facility includes a space for comprehensive child development assessments, a vaccination room, a breastfeeding room, a children's area with informational materials and stimulation elements, a space for parent consultations and group sessions, including those offered by the School of Responsible Parenting, as well as a training and resource center for the continuous professional development of doctors and nurses, an early intervention center, and additional services for children and parents.
“The opening of the Care Space is part of a systematic approach to developing primary healthcare and child health services, as well as a key element of the state’s comprehensive response to demographic challenges. We are facing a situation where birth rates are declining and mortality rates are rising, which requires systemic solutions. The government has already adopted a series of measures that can significantly improve the situation, provided they are effectively implemented at the local level. We are moving in two strategic directions. The first is supporting birth rates and the health of mothers and children. The Care Spaces network is dedicated specifically to this purpose. The second direction is reducing premature mortality. We are strengthening disease prevention and early detection, particularly through the Health Screening 40+ program, and we are also ensuring further patient follow-up care. These solutions form the response to demographic challenges and will determine what Ukraine will be like tomorrow.”
The Care for the Youngest program is already showing results. In collaboration with UNICEF, the Ministry of Health is establishing 210 centers, training over 1,800 healthcare workers in early childhood development, and providing integrated services to more than 51,000 children and caregivers.
“A child’s first thousand days of life shape the rest of their life. On World Health Day, we are opening this Care Center to provide comprehensive early childhood development services under one roof. The best investment any society can make, especially in times of war, is an investment in the youngest children. Together with the Ministry of Health, we are establishing a standard of care to give every child the best start in life.”
Primary Health Care Center No. 4 provides primary health care services to 68,000 registered patients, including approximately 18,000 children. Throughout 2025, all doctors and nurses at the Center who work with children have completed training under the “Care from Birth” program and are now delivering high-quality, family-centered care to their youngest patients.
The “Spaces of Care” initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and UNICEF, with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW). A key component of this collaboration focuses on enhancing the energy resilience of healthcare facilities, particularly by installing solar power systems, which is essential for ensuring uninterrupted healthcare services and the proper storage of vaccines.