Viktor Liashko: 114 restoration projects in 86 medical institutions are being implemented at the expense of the state budget for UAH 4.2 billion
Under the leadership of Ukraine’s Minister of Health Viktor Liashko the fourth meeting of the Sectoral Working Group on Healthcare took place. This group brings together representatives from government authorities, embassies, international organizations, patient organizations, community associations, and analytical centers.
“First of all, I would like to thank all our international and national partners for their continued support. Together we are working to develop the healthcare system even in the face of the challenges of a full-scale war. Thank you for joining important initiatives and projects. The issue of improving the healthcare system is relevant for countries all over the world. That is why this year, as part of the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, we launched a global initiative - the International Healthcare Partnership Program. Hospitals from different parts of Ukraine have signed memorandums of cooperation with the world's leading clinics, where they will learn from the best practices and share their own. This is a new level of interaction. I am confident that the program will continue to expand. More countries and leading medical institutions will join it. This will give another powerful impetus to the development of the medical sector at all levels,” said Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko.
The Minister added that this year, as part of the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, a Satellite Summit of Ministers of Health of different countries was held. It was attended by 14 ministers of health from around the world who signed a joint statement on four key topics: mental health, international medical partnerships, development of human resources in the healthcare system, and mental health of healthcare workers.
During the summit, 25 agreements on international medical partnerships were also signed between Ukrainian and foreign medical facilities from different parts of the world, from Poland to Canada. This cooperation will involve the engagement of foreign specialists to work directly in Ukraine, knowledge exchange and experience sharing during internships, conducting joint scientific research, scientific and practical conferences, educational events, mentoring, telemedicine consultations, joint project/research activity applications, sharing disidentified data for research, and the writing of joint scientific publications.
During the meeting, the participants familiarized themselves with the presentation of a new tool for coordinating activities among technical assistance projects and humanitarian support projects developed by the USAID Health System Support project.
They also discussed the state of restoration of medical facilities. As for the medical infrastructure, the enemy destroyed 190 medical facilities and damaged another 1,436. According to estimates made by the World Bank with the support of other partners, the needs for rebuilding Ukraine’s medical infrastructure over the next 10 years already amount to USD 16.4 billion. This figure continues to grow. In the process of recovery, it is important to focus not only on physical recovery but also on development. We have already managed to fully restore 403 medical facilities, and another 417 facilities have been partially restored. Currently, 114 projects are being implemented at the expense of the state budget in 86 medical institutions for a total of UAH 4.2 billion. UAH 314 million of funding from local budgets has also been attracted.
Finally, the participants discussed the state of development of the Healthcare Strategy 2030 and the next steps to be taken. The Strategy should remain a “living” dynamic document that combines the priorities of “peaceful life” with the new challenges of a full-scale war. The main task is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to take care of their health, maintain and preserve it, and receive the highest available level of medical care.