The Ministry of Health and the WHO signed a two-year cooperation agreement to strengthen the partnership for 2024-2025
Today in Kyiv, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko and Dr. Gundo Weiler, Director of Country Support and Partnerships and Acting Regional Director for Emergencies of the WHO Regional Office for Europe (on behalf of Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe), signed a two-year cooperation agreement for 2024-2025. The day before, the draft agreement was approved at a government meeting by a corresponding decree.
“WHO is a long-term strategic partner of Ukraine and our Ministry. The signing of a new cooperation agreement will continue the history of our fruitful cooperation to maintain the resilience of the healthcare system in the face of the challenges of a full-scale war, as well as to continue the process of reforming the sector. High-quality, affordable, free medical care for Ukrainians is our common goal,” said Minister of Health Viktor Liashko.
The new agreement establishes a framework for further cooperation to support the resilience of Ukraine’s healthcare system in the face of war, continuing the reform program and moving towards the restoration of the healthcare system.
“The evolving healthcare situation, heavily impacted by the war, requires both immediate life-saving services and ongoing assistance across the country. Despite the ongoing war, we will work side by side with the Government of Ukraine and other partners to support the ongoing health response in the context of war, continue to implement health system reforms and develop comprehensive recovery programs,” explained Dr. Gundo Weiler, Director of Country Support and Partnerships and Acting Regional Director for Emergencies at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
“For almost two years, WHO has been supporting the Ukrainian health system, from providing essential medical supplies and equipment to ensuring access to basic services for the population as a whole, and especially for those living in remote and hard-to-reach areas,” said Dr. Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine. “By signing a new cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Health, WHO will support Ukraine in further strengthening the country’s health system and responding to the challenges of the war by providing humanitarian assistance along with strategic advice on how to continue health sector reforms and recovery efforts.”
The signed agreement will help strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and WHO in the following areas:
- effective and timely response to emergencies,
- integrated package of healthcare services for all, focused on primary healthcare,
- efficient healthcare system with fair and equitable financing,
- preventing future disease outbreaks,
- reducing the major risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs),
- sustainable and healthy societies,
- strengthening healthcare institutions on the path to EU accession.
As part of the agreement, WHO will support Ukraine in addressing the immediate direct and indirect emergency health needs resulting from the full-scale war. The Ministry of Health and WHO will also work to further implement healthcare reforms to build a modern, high-quality healthcare system for Ukrainian citizens.
Attention will also be paid to rebuilding and strengthening the healthcare system, ensuring access to basic healthcare services such as rehabilitation, primary healthcare and public health surveillance. The cooperation agreement also aims to intensify and expand the availability of technical assistance to Ukraine compared to previous years.
The agreement will also implement the strategic priorities outlined in the recently developed Collaborative Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS), emphasizing WHO’s continued collaboration with the Government of Ukraine in implementing health priorities alongside national recovery and development programs until 2030.