On 28–29 March 2023 in Lviv, the WHO Country Office in Ukraine hosted the primary major well being care (PHC) convention for the reason that Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

WHO organized the convention collectively with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU), and in partnership with the Academy of Family Medicine of Ukraine. The occasion introduced collectively practically 200 PHC professionals together with well being authorities and worldwide companions to trade information and map the way forward for PHC throughout and after the struggle. 

The convention served as an open and interactive platform for PHC employees, managers and specialists to mirror on the progress of PHC reforms within the nation, classes discovered, and the longer term path of PHC in Ukraine amid the struggle and folks’s rising well being wants. 

Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine, defined, “Ukraine embarked on PHC reforms 5 years ago. While there have been some significant developments, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war have acted as a stress test to a resilient health system. Today, we witness disruptions to health services in some areas of the country due to the ongoing war. This conference marks a vital time to meet with experts and health workers to discuss solutions for the future and share experiences.”

Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, WHO/Europe’s Director of Country Health Policies and Systems, mentioned, “As we gather here today, we are reminded of the critical importance of PHC in building a strong, resilient health system that can handle current and future health emergencies, including conflicts and wars.” She underlined that WHO “continues to stand with and by all Ukrainian health workers – including PHC workers – as they show resilience and professionalism in the midst of this war”.

PHC within the face of struggle 

Discussions targeted on a variety of matters, together with PHC reforms in Ukraine and the interruptions which have resulted from the struggle. Participants mentioned among the challenges confronted by PHC docs and nurses, in addition to the essential position that multidisciplinary PHC groups play in offering care to individuals when and the place they want it. 

“I am from Afghanistan, a country in the midst of conflict and fragility. I have seen in my country how it is to operate on a patient in a surgery room under artillery shillings and bombardments,” shared Dr Suraya Dalil, Director of the WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care. 

“While going through war, I also know the mental health toll of this situation on the staff, their families and the entire community. But I also know that providing services close to the population with optimal quality will go a long way in saving lives and demonstrating commitment and responsibility toward the population,” Dr Dalil added.

In a session addressing particularly the position of PHC within the face of struggle, well being employees from lately liberated areas – together with Kyiv and Kherson oblasts – shared their testimonies of how their work has been affected by hostilities. Damage to well being services, disruptions to well being providers and folks’s compelled displacement have been among the many greatest challenges. 

“PHC is people’s first point of entry into the health system, and when this is disrupted by war, people’s health is at serious risk,” Dr Habicht continued. “WHO is committed to ensuring that everyone in Ukraine can access the PHC they need, and we will continue to coordinate and provide technical support and capacity-building under the Ministry of Health’s leadership.”

This first nationwide convention for the reason that invasion was additionally a possibility for worldwide companions, together with the European Union, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), amongst others, to come back collectively and talk about alternatives to strengthen the well being response to the continued emergency. 

Other points addressed throughout the occasion included the use and accessibility of digital instruments comparable to telemedicine and digital consultations, the necessity to guarantee constant financing of PHC within the face of struggle, using cell groups to entry distant and hard-to-reach areas, and the inclusion of psychological well being providers on the PHC degree. 

The occasion additionally noticed the official launch of the Ukrainian-language version of WHO/Europe’s first-ever “Pocket book of primary health care for children and adolescents”, a complete handbook for docs, nurses and different well being employees liable for caring for youngsters and younger individuals in PHC settings.  

First unveiled in March 2022, the pocket guide consists of steerage on the promotion of early childhood improvement and well being messages for adolescents. Its major activity is to information PHC professionals by utilizing evidence-based practices that assist to keep away from pointless therapy and hospitalization. 

WHO assist to PHC in Ukraine 

PHC has been on the coronary heart of WHO’s assist to Ukraine earlier than and after the invasion. In coordination with the Ministry of Health, WHO launched and supported a undertaking to determine and function cell well being models with a give attention to treating noncommunicable illnesses on the PHC degree. The undertaking was carried out in 2 waves and focused 7 areas within the nation. The WHO-supported cell well being models have now performed over 17 000 consultations and practically 600 group visits.  

Between 2022 and early 2023, WHO additionally performed a costing evaluation of PHC in Ukraine to assist the Ministry of Health and the NHSU with an analysis of the present state of PHC services and the influence on the nationwide price range. 

The PHC convention was organized with the monetary assist of the Government of Canada inside the framework of the undertaking “Strengthening local and national systems of primary care and health care to ensure the recovery and resilience of countries in the context of COVID-19”.