Ukraine and Lithuania discuss joint steps to strengthen health system resilience

Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine, Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Yevhenii Honchar and Third Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine, Justinas Ražinskas.

The parties discussed the current challenges facing Ukraine’s health system amid the ongoing war, as well as priority areas for further Ukrainian-Lithuanian cooperation.

One of the key topics was the health system’s preparedness for the winter period and potential prolonged disruptions to energy supplies. The Ministry of Health is systematically working to strengthen the autonomy of healthcare facilities, including by ensuring access to backup power and other essential resources. The parties also explored opportunities for further cooperation with Lithuania to enhance the energy resilience of Ukrainian hospitals.

The parties also discussed the resilience of the healthcare workforce. The Lithuanian side presented its experience in implementing programmes aimed at attracting specialists to work in the country and creating conditions for their professional development. The parties considered whether certain elements of this approach could be applied in Ukraine.

In addition, the meeting covered ongoing projects implemented as part of Ukrainian-Lithuanian cooperation. Lithuania continues to provide systematic support to Ukraine in rebuilding healthcare infrastructure, developing rehabilitation services, facilitating the medical evacuation of patients, and advancing the European integration of Ukraine’s health system.

In particular, the Government of Lithuania has allocated EUR 1 million for the reconstruction of the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital, which was damaged by a russian missile strike. With Lithuania’s support, a EUR 2.5 million project is also being implemented to establish a regional rehabilitation centre for patients with spinal cord injuries at the University Hospital of Dnipro State Medical University.

Medical evacuation remains another important area of partnership. As of September 2026, 426 Ukrainian citizens had been evacuated to Lithuania for treatment and rehabilitation, including 396 military personnel and 30 civilians.

Ukraine and Lithuania are also developing international medical partnerships between healthcare institutions and cooperating under the Twinning project, which aims to support the establishment of a modern state regulatory authority for medicines and medical devices in Ukraine.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue cooperation in priority areas and the implementation

The meeting also addressed the needs of Ukraine’s forensic medicine system related to the identification of people killed as a result of the war. The significant workload faced by Ukrainian specialists has created a need for additional international expertise, particularly from professionals experienced in working with fragmented and exhumed human remains. In this context, the parties discussed the possibility of engaging Lithuanian experts with relevant experience and facilitating the exchange of professional practices of joint initiatives aimed at strengthening the resilience of Ukraine’s health system.

As a reminder, the Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko, recently met with Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania Skirmantas Krunkaitis and representatives of Lithuania’s healthcare sector. The parties discussed the development of international medical partnerships, particularly in the context of strengthening professional exchanges between medical teams from both countries.

Additional information. Twinning is an institutional partnership instrument under which civil servants from EU member states work directly with their Ukrainian counterparts, sharing established models, management practices, and technical solutions. This cooperation involves the joint implementation of changes at the institutional level.