Ukraine to receive over USD 450 million from the World Bank for healthcare development
Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko and the World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe, Bob Saum, have signed a grant agreement for the project “Transforming Healthcare through Reform and Investment in Efficiency” between Ukraine and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association, acting as administrator of the multi-donor Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund.
The agreement provides for a grant of USD 5 million for the implementation of the project “Transforming Healthcare through Reform and Investment in Efficiency”. The total investment part of the project amounts to USD 30 million.
“Since the first days of the full-scale war, the World Bank has been a reliable strategic partner of Ukraine. The implementation of joint projects is a powerful assistance to our healthcare system, which allows us to strengthen medical institutions to ensure that Ukrainians are provided with high-quality, affordable and free medical care. We are grateful to our partners for their unprecedented assistance to Ukraine and are ready to continue our cooperation to implement joint projects in the healthcare sector. Today, Ukraine has signed several more international agreements within the framework of the Transforming Healthcare through Reform and Investment in Efficiency project, including a grant agreement. The project will allow Ukraine to attract USD 220 million to the general fund of the state budget in 2024 and USD 200 million in 2025 for the implementation of indicators related to the sample, as well as USD 5 million in grants to support the institutional capacity of the NHSU and the Ministry of Health.”
The project aims to ensure the institutional capacity of the National Health Service of Ukraine, continue the healthcare financing reform, and ensure the functioning of the electronic healthcare system. The project is planned to be implemented in 2024-2027.
The funds provided for the achievement of the indicators in 2025 will be allocated to the state budget of Ukraine and used to finance the needs of the Medical Guarantee Program and the Affordable Medicines reimbursement program, which allows people to receive the necessary medicines free of charge or with a partial co-payment.
Thus, the portfolio of joint projects of the Ministry of Health and the World Bank has been expanded. It should be noted that the implementation of two global joint projects “Health Enhancement And Lifesaving (HEAL) Ukraine” and “Ukraine Emergency COVID-19 Response and Vaccination” is currently underway.
In addition, a loan agreement (the program “Transforming Healthcare through Reform and Investments in Efficiency”) between Ukraine and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as a financing agreement (the program “Transforming Healthcare through Reform and Investments in Efficiency”) were signed at the same time. The agreements were signed by Serhii Marchenko, Minister of Finance of Ukraine, and Bob Saum, World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe.
For reference: the official negotiations between the delegation of Ukraine and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the conclusion of agreements were held following the order of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy dated 6 November 2024, No. 126/2024-rp.