The Ministry of Health and the Council of Europe Development Bank discussed the implementation of current projects and potential expansion of cooperation
Minister of Health Viktor Liashko and Head of the Council of Europe Development Bank Carlo Monticelli met to discuss current cooperation and its potential expansion through new projects. In particular, the parties discussed the implementation of the first Framework Loan Agreement with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) under the joint project with the World Bank “Health Enhancement and Lifesaving” (HEAL Ukraine).
“Today, the Ukrainian medical system is forced to operate on military rails, i.e., to provide all the necessary medical care to people who suffer daily from attacks by the enemy army, amid the destruction of medical, transport and energy infrastructure. At the same time, we continue to work on the strategic indicators that we have prioritized as a state: high-quality, affordable and free medical care for our citizens. In this context, the role of primary healthcare is extremely important. Therefore, in addition to cooperation in infrastructure projects, we are interested in implementing potential projects aimed at improving the accessibility and quality of primary health care, including by increasing the number of applicants to medical universities and their readiness to become qualified family doctors. The development of medical education, and as a result, the supply of highly qualified personnel to the system, directly affects the quality of medical care. I would also like to express my gratitude for the efficient and prompt work in preparing for the signing of the Framework Loan Agreement for the Health Enhancement and Lifesaving project during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2024). Thanks to this support, we are able to work on the further development of the medical system. I hope that our cooperation with the Council of Europe Development Bank will only expand both within the HEAL project and beyond.”
The full-scale war unleashed by russia has caused an overload and significant damage to the Ukrainian healthcare system. Systematic shelling and attacks on medical, transport, and energy infrastructure, as well as large-scale destruction, have caused damage to the medical system and complicated the provision of medical care to citizens.
As of today, russia’s attacks have damaged 1,657 medical facilities, and another 221 of them have been destroyed and are beyond repair. Healthcare facilities in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts suffered the greatest losses. It is currently impossible to obtain information on the extent of the destruction of hospitals in the temporarily occupied territories. Currently, the damage and losses caused by russia to Ukraine’s medical infrastructure are enormous and amount to at least seven billion US dollars.
Minister Viktor Liashko said that active preparations for the heating season are underway. Healthcare facilities continue to be equipped with generators, Starlink stations, wells, autonomous boilers, etc. to ensure uninterrupted medical care during possible blackouts and emergency power outages. Providing support for such projects from partners is critically important for Ukraine.
It should be noted that the loan agreement provides for additional co-financing from the CEB for EUR 100 million. Earlier, EUR 100 million had already been raised for the project. As part of the agreement, the general fund of the state budget of Ukraine will receive EUR 10 million shortly.
The funds will be used to reconstruct important infrastructure facilities. In particular, the first facility will be the construction of a medical and rehabilitation building as part of the Phoenix Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center of the Volyn Regional Territorial Medical Association for Maternity and Childhood Protection.
The project envisages the construction of a three-story building with a basement and a swimming pool. A special shelter is also planned to be built in the basement. The new building will be connected by a passage to the existing building. Total capacity of the new building: 64 healthcare workers, 70 visitors and an additional 24 resting places for visitors. The territory around the new building will also be landscaped. The modernization of the facility will increase its capacity and increase the number of simultaneous patients stays by 1.5-2 times.
The participants also discussed the possibilities of implementing a new joint project to finance the restoration of the Lukyanova Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynecology at the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. The technical needs of the institution are currently being assessed.
As for potential areas for expanding cooperation, one of the key areas is primary health care. The Council of Europe Development Bank has experience in implementing such projects in other countries and is ready to consider their implementation in Ukraine.
The Minister of Health of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to the partners for such active assistance to Ukraine in strengthening the medical system.