EMERGENCY Offers Primary Healthcare at 12 Local Clinics in Eastern Ukraine

For 10 months, EMERGENCY has been operating in Ukraine in the Kramatorsk area, Donetsk Oblast, one of the areas most affected by the war. As part of the project titled "Restoration of Health Services in the Donetsk Region for the War-Affected Population", funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), EMERGENCY has created a network of clinics to provide primary healthcare in remote villages, where the population has been left without access to medical facilities or essential services.

Depending on the needs and characteristics of each area, the NGO has renovated existing facilities or provided prefabricated structures to be used as clinics, equipping them with the necessary medical tools. EMERGENCY has also trained local colleagues to ensure access to quality primary care for an isolated population. The beneficiaries are some of the most vulnerable groups who still remain in the region despite the war, which has become increasingly violent in recent months. Donetsk has seen some of the highest civilian casualties, including humanitarian workers. EMERGENCY's activities, in collaboration with local authorities, take place in the Oleksandrivka district, Kramatorsk province; activities currently involve 12 villages, reaching a total of 10,000 people, with the aim to expand to 14 sites.

"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," explains Elisa De Checchi, EMERGENCY's Project Coordinator in Ukraine. "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."

Since the Russian invasion in February 2022 and the subsequent war, the Ukrainian health system has been in great difficulty. Much infrastructure has been destroyed, damaged, or converted for military use; doctors, surgeons and nurses have fled the country or have been enlisted to serve in civilian hospitals converted, wholly or partially, into military hospitals. The few available personnel often do not have appropriate facilities or the necessary equipment.

Some of the clinics opened in Donetsk were existing buildings renovated by EMERGENCY; others were set up in new prefabricated structures equipped and used as clinics. In most locations, EMERGENCY has hired local healthcare workers whose working hours had been reduced due to the lack of facilities and essential services such as transportation.

"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."

To identify needs in the area and serve as a liaison with national health services, EMERGENCY has established an international team to train local community health workers, in addition to nurses, who engage in extensive door-to-door activities. They directly interact with the population, assess their needs, and promptly report the most serious cases to the nearest clinics. They also conduct health education and prevention activities, and facilitate home visits for patients with reduced mobility.

"Despite the increasing difficulties, EMERGENCY is present in the Donetsk Oblast to provide the right to primary healthcare for those who resist the war in difficult physical and mental health conditions," concludes De Checchi.

The project is part of the "Emergency Initiative to support the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine and neighbouring countries," funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) 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.