Ukraine and France sign new agreements to strengthen cooperation in the health sector
The Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko, met with the Special Envoy of the President of France for Ukraine's Relief and Reconstruction, Pierre Elbron, to discuss ongoing and new fields of cooperation. They signed two agreements under the intergovernmental partnership framework.
Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Edem Adamanov, the Mayor of the city of Nizhyn, Oleksandr Kodola, and representatives from the Embassy of France, the French Healthcare initiative, GE Healthcare, and Ellipse Projects, also attended the meeting.
“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, France has remained a reliable partner of Ukraine in healthcare. We express our sincere gratitude to the people of France and to all French partners for their consistent and systematic support that enables us to restore and develop the medical system, support communities, and save lives even in the most challenging circumstances. At the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2024) in Berlin, the governments of Ukraine and France concluded two framework agreements on strengthening cooperation, which were later ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament. Today, we are launching important initiatives in practical terms: equipping our hospitals with high-tech equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and the construction of a modular hospital in Nizhyn within a local healthcare facility. Investments in healthcare are investments in the lives and health of Ukrainians.”
At the meeting, the parties concluded two agreements intended to strengthen the capacity of Ukraine’s healthcare system during wartime.
The first agreement provides for the supply of high-tech medical equipment to modernize the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in Ukrainian hospitals. This includes 25 mammography systems together with the necessary IT infrastructure. The equipment will be supplied by the French company GE Medical Systems. In addition, the agreement includes installation, training of medical personnel, and a five-year warranty, as well as logistics and insurance. The total cost of the project exceeds EUR 11.6 million.
Under the second agreement, a modular hospital will be constructed within the local medical facility in the city of Nizhyn. The document provides for the establishment of a full-service medical hospital, including design, medical equipment supply, construction works, installation, and commissioning. Ellipse Projects SAS is implementing the initiative in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Nizhyn Central City Hospital. The project’s total cost amounts to EUR 35 million.
Both projects are implemented under the ratified framework agreements between the governments of Ukraine and France, which were signed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in Berlin.
Overall, the Ukrainian–French partnership in healthcare encompasses several large-scale projects that are already being implemented and include the development of rehabilitation services, emergency care, digital solutions, and technical modernization of hospitals. During the meeting, the parties reviewed progress on seven healthcare agreements with a total value of over EUR 51 million, which are being implemented under the Intergovernmental Grant Agreement between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of Ukraine.
Notably, Ukraine's largest prosthetics training and production has already been created in the city of Lviv, and work is underway to equip prosthetic micro-clinics in the cities of Poltava and Bila Tserkva, as well as to supply X-ray machines, ultrasound systems, resuscitation equipment, and telemedicine networks. Also, the agreements provide for the construction of a children's rehabilitation center in the city of Vinnytsia and the restoration of the rehabilitation department at the city hospital in Ladyzhyn.
Furthermore, the deployment of telemedicine networks is in progress. Medical facilities have already received 80 stationary systems (LIMSTAR) and 62 mobile solutions (FMC), which are now being tested. At the same time, 120 mobile X-ray machines are being supplied, 36 of which have already been transferred to health care facilities.
At the same time, primary and specialized medical care institutions have received 150 state-of-the-art ultrasound systems capable of operating even in non-hospital settings. Deliveries of 700 units of resuscitation equipment (defibrillators and monitors) are also ongoing, along with 230 high-tech installations for the rehabilitation of injured patients.
Ukraine and France continue to expand their cooperation in the health sector to develop medical infrastructure, implement advanced technologies, and expand patient access to high-quality healthcare services.