Since the beginning of the active stage of the war, russia has caused significant losses to the medical system. The medical infrastructure in 5 regions has suffered the greatest destruction: Donetsk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions. The situation with the healthcare infrastructure in Luhansk region also remains difficult. Ukraine has virtually no access to medical facilities in this area and cannot fully assess the extent of the damage.

However, despite the daily shelling and the challenges faced by the medical system, Ukraine, with the help of international partners, is already working to restore the medical infrastructure from the effects of the war.

A project office for the restoration of the healthcare system has been established at the Ministry of Health. Its main goal is to support and coordinate the implementation of reform and recovery efforts.

"Over the past year, we have been synchronizing with international partners to move in unison on the restoration of the healthcare system and to coordinate the technical support coming from various international sources. The sectoral working group we have gathered within is exactly the platform where we will be able to discuss the activities of our partners, set priorities and outline clear vectors for further movement," said Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin during a meeting of the Healthcare sectoral working group established on the basis of the Ministry of Health.

According to the Deputy Minister, the sectoral working group, which includes a number of international partners, will focus on restoring the medical system and the challenges caused by the war in the near future.

The total needs for rebuilding the medical infrastructure are already estimated at USD 6.4 billion. More than USD 15 billion is needed to restore the overall healthcare system to meet European best practices.

To ensure that the restoration is comprehensive, the Ministry of Health has developed a draft Healthcare Infrastructure Recovery Plan.

The recovery plan is generally divided into 3 blocks. The first one is integrated into military realities and concerns the provision of medical care and the restoration of medical services in the de-occupied territories. It includes monitoring of the damaged infrastructure and development of further recovery plans.

The second block is the direct restoration of medical infrastructure damaged or destroyed by the occupiers. At this stage, not only will medical facilities be rebuilt, but also rehabilitation services, mental health services, harmonization of legislation with the EU, etc.

The third block will involve modernizing the medical system in accordance with the best international practices. This stage includes improving the quality of medical care and developing human resources.