Primary health care teams in Ukraine are reaching 121 locations within 60 km from active hostilities.
This is part of the largest primary health care intervention in frontline areas in the country. European Union (EU)-supported teams are delivering essential services to people trapped by constant shelling and severe security constraints in 7 regions where no pharmacies operate, no health facilities function and evacuation remains impossible for residents.
This initiative is implemented by WHO in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Academy of Family Medicine of Ukraine, with financial support from the EU.
Helping the most vulnerable
The primary outreach teams are serving around 30 000 of the most vulnerable people trapped near the frontline.
The majority are elderly people and women with children. Women account for over 70% of all patients, reflecting the demographic reality of these communities. Nearly 1 in 10 consultations involves a person with a disability, and 14% of patients are internally displaced people who have relocated from other areas and lack the means to move further from danger.
“There’s no transport, and the security situation here is extremely dangerous. Drones hit cars, people and even children. We can’t call for an ambulance because there’s no signal or mobile connection. For people here, these teams are one of the only sources of help left,” explains Yuliia Siliutina, one of the residents of Mariivka village in Zaporizhzhia region, describing reality on the ground.
Of the 121 locations covered, 61 are situated 5–25 km from the frontline. A total of 43 are 26– 40 km away, and 17 are located 41–61 km from the frontline. The geographic coverage is continuously adjusted to reflect the evolving security situation and frontline movements.
Sustaining primary care
Noncommunicable diseases represent the largest share of consultations, alongside mental health support, infectious disease care and immunization – underscoring the need for sustained primary care.
“Where infrastructure is damaged and health workers have left, people still need consistent primary health care. This intervention delivers exactly that – qualified staff, rooted in their own communities, reaching those with no other option,” says Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left communities near the frontline without access to basic medical services. These outreach teams are filling that gap – bringing care to the most vulnerable people in the most dangerous areas,” explains Marianna Franco, Head of the EU Humanitarian Aid office in Ukraine.
Early-recovery solution
Unlike mobile clinics designed as short-term emergency responses, this intervention is also built for early recovery. Primary outreach units are staffed by doctors and nurses from Ukraine’s health system, many of whom live in nearby communities. In addition to delivering care, the programme helps retain health-care workers in frontline areas, ensuring that qualified staff remain present and available when recovery begins.
Continuity of care is supported through integration with the national health-care system, sustained patient follow-up, digital medical records, and referral pathways to higher levels of care when needed.
Finally, it is close coordination with regional health authorities, local communities, the Health Cluster and humanitarian partners that ensures uninterrupted delivery of health care in these war-torn areas.