The Ministry of Health together with the World Bank identified priorities for the restoration of healthcare system

A two-day strategic session on attracting investment in the healthcare system of Ukraine within the framework of the joint project of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine “Strengthening the healthcare system and saving life” with the World Bank has ended in Rzeszow, Poland. During the event, an action plan was formed and priority areas for restoring the healthcare system were identified. 

“First of all, we must restore access to basic medical services in the de-occupied territories, where medical care has been unavailable or significantly restricted for a long time, and medical institutions have been damaged or destroyed. It is also important to ensure the restoration of the “Affordable Medicines” program in the affected regions, which is very important for people in conditions of a significant decline in income,” said Health Minister Viktor Liashko.  

According to him, during the strategic session, together with experts from the World Bank and the Council of Europe, short-term tasks for implementation in 2023 in the main areas were identified and worked out. The minister also noted that the resumption of medical services is planned, in particular with the help of mobile teams and the introduction of a mechanism for delivering medicines to remote settlements. 

Among other things, specific tasks were identified for early implementation in 2023: 

• expanding the scope of training of non-specialized professionals in the provision of mental health services, in particular in cooperation with the World Health Organization;
• strengthening the capacity of multidisciplinary teams to provide psychological assistance and rehabilitation, mainly in de-occupied territories;
• purchasing equipment for rehabilitation centers and strengthening their ability to provide high-quality services;
• creation of regional mental health centers, development of a model for the functioning of such institutions, design and estimate documentation and protocols for providing first aid;
• comprehensive reconstruction of hospitals and primary care facilities that are part of a capable network. 

The strategic session was attended by specialists of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the National Health Service of Ukraine, Medical Procurement of Ukraine, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the Agency for Infrastructure Restoration of Ukraine, as well as representatives of leading international and European financial institutions interested in providing Ukraine with support within the framework of the World Bank project.

It should be recalled that at the end of 2022, a new large-scale project “Strengthening the healthcare system and preserving life” (HEAL Ukraine) was launched, which is implemented by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine jointly with the World Bank. The project takes into account a clear vision of the urgent needs of the healthcare sector by the government of Ukraine, the World Bank and other development partners.