During the meeting with the delegation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) led by Senior Vice President Naoki Ando, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko discussed the status of current projects and further development of cooperation.

“We are sincerely grateful to Japan for its strong support and cooperation, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic and intensified during the full-scale war. International partnership allows us to face the challenges of wartime: to save lives under all circumstances, while constantly working on the development of Ukraine’s medical system,” said Viktor Liashko. “In March, we began active work with Japanese partners. We already have results. Now it is important to move forward together and deepen cooperation, taking into account the priorities set by the Ukrainian and Japanese governments.”

During the meeting, JICA representatives announced the opening of an office in Kyiv, which will speed up the coordination of actions to implement joint projects even more effectively. Cooperation in the health sector is currently focused on providing medical facilities with the necessary equipment. Diagnostic systems are already being delivered. Nine magnetic resonance imaging scanners have been purchased for medical institutions in Dnipro, Chernihiv, Cherkasy and Kyiv, in Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Poltava and Volyn regions, as well as one CT scanner for a children’s hospital in Chernivtsi. 20 vehicles were delivered to primary healthcare facilities in Kharkiv region. The delivery of specialised neurosurgical microscopes to hospitals is planned for the near future.

Participants discussed potential areas for expanding cooperation. The first priority is the physical and psychological rehabilitation of war-affected people. These issues have already been raised at the level of the Presidents of both countries. Expert consultations are underway to finalise specific projects that will ensure access to quality rehabilitation care for all those who need it.