EMERGENCY Opens Two New Health Clinics in Ukraine

EMERGENCY has opened two new primary healthcare clinics in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region. In the towns of Barvinkove and Blyzniuky, situated close to the front lines, access to primary care is increasingly difficult due to the worsening war while the needs of the most vulnerable people continue to grow.

EMERGENCY’s new clinics will offer free services, including basic medical care, monitoring for chronic conditions and nursing care, following its model already in place across eastern Ukraine: since the start of operations, EMERGENCY has supported 27 facilities in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, in the areas of Blyzniuky, Barvinkove and Oleksandrivka.

The two new clinical centres are part of a wider network of facilities integrated with local communities, an initiative launched by EMERGENCY in February 2024 which involves refurbishing outpatient clinics, providing equipment, and training Ukrainian healthcare professionals. Central to the project are Community Health Workers, who visit the most vulnerable people door-to-door, identify health needs and facilitate access to services, thereby bridging the gap between patients and the healthcare system.

“Through our work, we have the chance to engage every day with people who have lost everything and have been forced to flee their homes and their land to seek refuge in places considered safer. These people are overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, despair and resignation in the face of such a devastating situation,” says Luca Rifiorati, EMERGENCY’s Programme Coordinator in Ukraine.

“The beneficiaries we support are among the most fragile and vulnerable groups: the elderly, people with chronic illnesses, children, people with disabilities and mobility difficulties. With new clinics and community initiatives, we are working to ensure continuity of treatment and care for those who have remained.”

In rural areas of eastern Ukraine, the gap between people and access to healthcare has become enormous: many facilities no longer exist, and travelling is impossible for many patients. In this context, the clinics represent not only a healthcare facility but also a place where people can be heard and listened to in increasingly isolated areas.

More than four years after the start of the war in Ukraine, which has claimed around 16,000 civilian lives and displaced 3.7 million people, the Ukrainian healthcare system – already precarious before the outbreak of the conflict – faces serious difficulties. It is estimated that more than 10.8 million people do not have adequate access to care. Healthcare infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged by bombings while staff shortages, coupled with rising medicine costs, make it increasingly difficult to access treatment.

According to data collected by EMERGENCY in its latest report “Care and Community in Wartime”, 84% of patients face greater difficulties in reaching healthcare facilities and nearly 95% in paying for the medicines they need. The protracted conflict, isolation and uncertainty have also contributed to a rise in mental health needs.

“To date, the bombings in Ukraine show no sign of stopping, continuing to claim civilian lives and cause extensive damage to infrastructure. Recently, we have witnessed the use of heavy and high-tech weaponry with devastating effects on densely populated areas,” concludes Rifiorati.

“It is a context characterised by uncertainty and volatility, where a strong sense of concern prevails not only about the present but also about the near future, because the situation shows no sign of improving.”