The ongoing war continues to bring daily destruction and loss of life in Ukraine. The protracted crisis has severely impacted the country’s health-care sector, resulting in the disruption of essential primary health care services for frontline communities. Health-care facilities have been gravely affected, with over 1200 attacks on health care recorded by WHO since 24 February 2022. To ensure continued access to primary health care services in areas where facilities have been destroyed or become irreparable, WHO is installing modular primary care facilities in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
A solution for response and recovery
Modular primary care facilities are prefabricated health-care units that can be quickly installed on the spot. Offering a rapid solution to an acute need, these units are one of WHO’s key projects for response and recovery to scale up primary care infrastructure in Ukraine. While they are ultimately a temporary solution, the units can serve as replacements for damaged facilities for up to 10 years.
“Modular clinics serve as temporary replacements for damaged facilities in the areas most affected by the war, providing infrastructure where doctors and nurses can offer essential primary health care services where needs are highest, particularly for patients with chronic conditions. This initiative aligns with the broader humanitarian and United Nations effort to empower frontline communities and facilitate community-driven recovery, addressing the gap in access to vital primary health care, which is a fundamental step in restoring normalcy. For us, this represents the true bridge between acute response and early recovery for health,” explained Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.
Currently, the project is managing 14 modular primary care clinics in 4 regions identified by authorities, including Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Sumy. Among these, 5 units are already fully operational, 3 are currently being installed and another 3 are still in the planning phase. The total number also includes 3 units in contingency stock for emergencies.
Modular clinics can be assembled and installed within just 10–14 days each, using a varying number of prefabricated modules, depending on the required number of patient rooms. All clinics are equipped with essential amenities, including electricity, sanitary facilities, sewage systems, waiting rooms and patient examination rooms. Generators and fans are provided to maintain an optimal environment for health-care delivery.
Clinics assembled for regional needs
On 3 October 2023, as part of this initiative, a new modular primary health care clinic was installed in the village of Khukra in the Sumy region. Just like the other modular clinics, this newly installed structure will serve as an outpatient facility, providing primary health care services to a population of over 3000.
The modular clinic in Khukra comprises 8 prefabricated modules combined to form a fully functional health facility, with 4 rooms for receiving patients and with capacity for 11 health-care personnel to work simultaneously. This clinic, like others, will be staffed by primary care physicians and nurses, who previously worked at damaged or destroyed facilities, ensuring the continuity of primary care in the area.
“We are in the final stages of installation for all the modular clinics in Sumy, and they will soon be fully functional, ready to receive patients starting from this autumn. This sustainable yet swift solution is designed to ensure an effective emergency response and qualified primary health care,” said Emanuele Bruni, Incident Manager, WHO Country Office in Ukraine.
Ensuring access to health care in regions most affected by war
“Thanks to strong support from and cooperation with WHO and other international partners, step by step we manage to move forward and rebuild destroyed hospitals so that patients have full access to essential health care. The creation of modular clinics is a very important collaboration for us, aimed at real results that serve our patients today,” said Maryna Slobodnichenko, Deputy Minister of Health for European Integration.
As part of the first stage of the project, Sumy region marks the third installation. Another 8 modules will be installed soon, as indicated by the Ministry of Health’s priority list for the most affected regions.
“The war in Ukraine has had devastating repercussions for the health-care sector, severely limiting access to essential services in frontline communities. Through this initiative, WHO is working tirelessly to restore vital primary health services. Despite facing numerous challenges and experiencing a higher number of health-care attacks than any other humanitarian emergency worldwide, WHO remains committed to this critical support for Ukraine,” affirmed Gerald Rockenschaub, Regional Emergency Director, WHO/Europe.
The Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF) and the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) are providing the necessary financial support for this project.