Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba and Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko held a meeting with representatives of American medical and charitable organizations.
International partners, including the President of the charitable organization Ukraine Focus, former Deputy Administrator of USAID and Head of USAID in Europe and Asia (2018–2021) Brock Daniel Bierman, Chief Advisor of the medical company AMC Healthcare Brent V. Jessen, and Director of the charitable organization Ukraine Focus in Ukraine Alexander Reshetkov, presented the concept of a project to build four emergency medical facilities and rehabilitation centers for veterans.
"We, Ukraine Focus and AMC Healthcare, look forward to cooperating with the government of Ukraine and the Ministry of Health to provide even more necessary assistance to the Ukrainian people," said Brock Bierman.
The organization Ukraine Focus has already signed a memorandum with the Ministry of Health. In turn, the medical company AMC Healthcare provides professional consultations in the healthcare sector, constructs modular hospitals and medical facilities, and creates management services for them.
Oleksiy Kuleba thanked the partners for their timely and important assistance and initiatives already implemented in Ukraine.
"The support of partner countries is crucial for Ukraine in the face of a full-scale invasion. We are ready to take all measures to ensure that the necessary assistance arrives as soon as possible," emphasized the Deputy Head of the Office of the President.
The hospitals proposed by the partners are planned to be built according to EU standards and can be either standalone facilities or parts of existing hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Additionally, each such facility will be equipped with a bomb shelter.
Health Minister Viktor Lyashko noted that during the full-scale war, almost 1,700 healthcare facilities have suffered due to the hostile actions of the Russian army: 1,501 medical infrastructure objects have been damaged, and another 195 have been completely destroyed, with no possibility of further restoration. According to him, the medical infrastructure of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson regions suffered the most significant losses.
"For us, it is crucial, despite such challenges to the healthcare system, to ensure Ukrainians have access to medical care. The developments presented today – experience and technologies – are extremely relevant for Ukraine, especially for the de-occupied territories," the minister emphasized.
The company Northwell Health is ready to join the implementation of the ambitious project to build medical facilities. They will provide equipment and training for specialists.