WHO will continue to actively support the medical system of Ukraine

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine hosted a meeting of Minister Viktor Liashko with the participation of deputies with representatives of the WHO Regional Office for Europe headed by its director Hans Kluge, as well as colleagues from the WHO office in Ukraine.  

“This is my fifth visit to Ukraine in the last year, and my support for the Ministry of Health and the health system is stronger than ever,” said Dr. Kluge. “WHO's support for Ukraine is increasingly based on data and evidence to identify critical current and future healthcare needs. This allows us to better plan and identify the resources needed in the long run. The healthcare system of Ukraine has proved to be extremely stable, which is evidence of the effective work of the management team and medical workers under the leadership of Minister Viktor Liashko.”

The minister thanked WHO for the large-scale support in the health sector during the entire period of independence and especially during the last year of the full-scale war.  

“We have experience of long-term effective cooperation with WHO at all levels, both in peacetime and in war. Due to our international partners, our medical system has managed not only to survive, but also to become stronger in many ways. Since the beginning of the full-scale military aggression, WHO has provided 1,374 tons of medical supplies with a total cost of USD 36 million as humanitarian aid, which were sent to 692 medical institutions across Ukraine. I thank for your concern and reliable support shoulder. We are working together to maximize the quality, accessibility and free of charge of medical care for Ukrainians,” Viktor Liashko said.

They discussed priority needs and areas of cooperation for 2023 for the most effective coordination of efforts, namely:

• supporting the work of the Interdepartmental coordination council for mental health and providing psychological assistance to persons affected by the armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine, which coordinates projects within the framework of the All-Ukrainian mental health program created on the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska;
• scaling of projects in the field of physical rehabilitation, taking into account the growing demand for this type of medical services due to a full-scale war;
• modernization of the centers for disease control and prevention to develop their ability to respond to potential challenges related to the use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons; 
• development of digitalization projects in the healthcare sector, which will help increase the availability of medical services and reduce the administrative burden on the system;
• measures aimed at improving the level of immunization of people and preventing outbreaks of infectious diseases;
• continuing support for responding to emergency calls related to ensuring the availability of medical supplies in the de-occupied territories by involving mobile groups and mobile outpatient clinics in the work;
• further cooperation in ensuring medical evacuation both in terms of sending Ukrainians abroad for treatment and their return back to Ukraine;
• expert support of WHO specialists to finalize the health development strategy until 2030;
• development of projects in the field of medical education to minimize the consequences of a potential crisis of medical personnel;
• involvement of WHO experts in assessing the quality of medical care.

In general, the joint projects will concern both assistance in responding to challenges related to the consequences of the military aggression of the russian federation, and the strategic development of the healthcare system of Ukraine.

It should be recalled that recently, the WHO office in Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, handed over 59 buses to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to help strengthen large-scale vaccination throughout the country during the war.