Since war began in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian health system has fallen apart. Much of the country’s infrastructure has been destroyed, damaged or converted for military use. At the same time, many doctors, surgeons and nurses have fled the country, or have been conscripted to serve in converted military hospitals.

EMERGENCY’s team is active in one of the most isolated areas in Ukraine, with a grassroots health project aimed at strengthening access to care in remote places that have been left without clinics, staff and medical services.

Where EMERGENCY is Working in Ukraine

In Donetsk, one of Ukraine’s easternmost oblasts, the war has become increasingly violent. In some of the most remote parts of the territory, EMERGENCY is activating a network of healthcare clinics. Our team is training both medical and non-medical personnel to provide support in the clinics and within the communities.

We are intervening in Kramatorsk, one of the provinces most devastated by the war and its effects. Activities currently involve 12 villages, reaching a total of 10,000 people, with the aim to expand to 14 villages.

The Donetsk region, at war since 2014, has had the highest number of civilian casualties since the beginning of the current conflict: over 2,500 to date, according to the data available. Several hundred thousand Ukrainians have left the region. Among the remaining population, there are many vulnerable people, such as elderly people with chronic diseases, people with disabilities, people confined to their beds, and people with few means of subsistence.

The aim of EMERGENCY’s intervention is to bridge the gap that has developed over these years, and under these conditions, between the national health system and the people who have decided to remain home.”

Elisa De Checchi, EMERGENCY’s Project Coordinator in Ukraine

The Network of Local Outpatient Clinics

In Ukraine, we are rehabilitating pre-existing buildings or installing shipping containers that have been converted into fully equipped outpatient clinics. In these facilities, general practitioners and local nurses offer medical and nursing services, completely free of charge.

The beneficiaries of this healthcare are often people in some of the most vulnerable and isolated parts of society, who remain in the country despite the war. As a region, Donetsk has one of the highest rates of civilian casualties, including aid workers.

This allows beneficiaries to resume and continue interrupted therapies and monitor their health status, thus avoiding the worsening of their conditions and easing the burden on hospitals. In these facilities, we also offer training for medical and non-medical personnel, integrating new staff into the Ukrainian health system to offer completely free medical and nursing services.”

Elisa De Checchi, EMERGENCY’s Project Coordinator in Ukraine

Training local staff to support rural communities

The training, support and coordination of teams of Community Health Workers makes it possible, in parallel, to make contact with people in their homes to better understand their needs.

Our Community Health Workers operate door-to-door, including by bicycle, to speak directly with community members, assess people’s needs, and immediately report the most serious cases, referring patients to the nearest Outpatient Clinics set up by EMERGENCY.

In addition to acting as listeners and as a “bridge” between the community and the network of clinics we are implementing in the area, the Community Health Workers also provide health promotion and prevention education and, for patients with reduced mobility, they organise escorts to health facilities.

Thanks to their work in the field, we can monitor individual’s health needs and map the needs and conditions of the wider community.

Before the war, my life was serene and stable, then everything changed with the conflict: gradually all contacts with the outside world eroded, also because of the reduction in means of transport, which does not make it easy to reach the health facilities.

EMERGENCY intervened in our communities by filling this gap, training us as Community Health Workers to reconnect people with their own needs, neglected for months or years. People are grateful for the service we provide, they tell us that, thanks to our role, they have stopped feeling abandoned and forgotten. Staying here is dangerous, we know that, but so is leaving and having no prospects for the future. That’s why many people have returned to live in the villages: only here do they really feel at home.”

Nadia, EMERGENCY Community Health Worker, Petrivka Druha village

This project is part of the Emergency Initiative in support of the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine and neighboring countries, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation with a contribution of 46.5 million euros.

The initiative supports 26 projects led by Italian, international, and local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that provide life-saving humanitarian aid in the sectors of education, health, protection, water and sanitation, emergency relief, and demining, benefiting over 900,000 individuals.

The initiative follows the success of the AICS 2022 initial emergency call, which allocated 14 million euros to 14 projects in Ukraine, providing support to over 150,000 vulnerable people.

This project is supported by Fondazione CDP