Ukraine Equips 60 Psychological Support Spaces in Primary Healthcare Centers
Ukraine has completed the creation of 60 psychological support and stress-relief spaces in primary healthcare centers across the country as part of the HEAL Ukraine project.
Psychological support closer to communities
The 60 spaces were established through a joint project of Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and the World Bank’s HEAL Ukraine program. The initiative is designed to make basic psychological support more accessible within local communities.
The spaces have been created in primary healthcare centers across 22 regions of Ukraine. They are equipped with furniture, technology and materials for individual consultations, psychoeducation and other activities.
Patients can receive psychological support and consultations from trained healthcare professionals in specially equipped, comfortable and safe premises.
Where the spaces were created
The largest number of spaces was established in Poltava region, with five locations.
Four spaces were created in each of Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.
Three spaces were established in each of Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
Two spaces were created in each of Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Rivne, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi and Chernivtsi regions, while Kirovohrad region received one.
Free psychological assistance
Healthcare professionals working in the spaces have received relevant training, including through the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP).
The program provides medical workers with practical tools for identifying common mental health conditions and providing appropriate assistance.
Basic psychological assistance is available free of charge at healthcare facilities that have a contract with Ukraine’s National Health Service under the Medical Guarantees Program.
Support also available for healthcare workers
The spaces are intended not only for patients. They can also provide a place for healthcare workers to recover from the emotional strain associated with working with people affected by war and prolonged stress.
The Ministry of Health said that, together with the WHO, it plans to pilot professional supervision sessions for primary healthcare workers. These sessions will allow specialists to discuss complex cases, receive professional feedback and identify signs of emotional exhaustion.
The project was financed with donor funding from the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF), while the construction and equipping work was carried out by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
