Event highlights
Despite the ongoing war and repeated attacks on health care, Ukraine continues to advance reforms in primary health care.
Since the Russian Federation’s invasion into Ukraine in February 2022, WHO has, as of 11 June 2026, verified 3066 attacks on health care, of which 37% have affected primary health care facilities.
This was one of the reasons why, in late May 2026, WHO hosted the Third Primary Health Care Conference in Ukraine, bringing together more than 500 primary health care professionals, health authorities and international partners, both in person and online.
The goal was to strengthen primary health care as the foundation of a resilient health system.
Discussions covered key reform priorities, including bolstering the role of primary health care in Ukraine, improving financing mechanisms to enhance access to and quality of care, developing the workforce, building a resilient network of facilities, improving service quality and promoting strategic investments in the sector.
“Primary health care is the cornerstone of health systems,” said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine.
“It enables us to progress towards universal health coverage and ensures that doctors and nurses are there for generations. For WHO, family doctors and nurses and primary health care teams demonstrate how response, recovery and reforms are working in practice. We must also prepare to address the challenges of demographic changes by expanding the role of family doctors and nurses and supporting them, so that we can build networks that ensure access to essential health services across Ukraine.”
Reducing financial barriers
Participants emphasized that patients must remain at the centre of primary health care and that access to essential health services should be available without financial hardship. One important tool for achieving this is the continued expansion of Ukraine’s Affordable Medicines Programme, which in recent years has significantly increased access to medicines.
“This year, we have already started to cover certain new medicines, including for patients with type 2 diabetes,” Ievgenii Gonchar, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine explained as he presented recent progress and future plans for the programme.
“From July 2026, we have an ambitious goal: to begin covering over 50 new active ingredients across all therapeutic groups for cardiovascular diseases. In 2027, we will expand to other therapeutic areas, which may include neurological and gastrointestinal conditions.”
Nataliia Husak, Head of the National Health Service of Ukraine, outlined planned changes to primary health care financing.
“Together with the WHO team, we are working to allocate a separate funding pool for primary health care, which will cover specific laboratory tests that are needed for patients and for family doctors who work with patients with chronic diseases,” she explained.
Strengthening the workforce
The conference also explored ways to strengthen the primary health care workforce through improved education, multidisciplinary team approaches and sustainable financing linked to quality of care and population health needs.
Participants highlighted the importance of retaining health workers, particularly in rural and frontline areas. Discussions also focused on defining and expanding the role of nurses in primary health care.
“The main priority for nursing today is the redistribution of clinical functions,” said Valeria Soruchan, Acting Director of the Department of Medical Services of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
“We plan to clearly define the areas and interventions that nurses should perform to ease the burden on physicians. We also plan to provide a continuum of services at the primary health care level. This includes developing algorithms for the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of major noncommunicable diseases. All our doctors have been trained in the Mental Health Gap Action Programme and we are now expanding this training to the nursing level,” she explained.
Conference participants welcomed the proposed expansion of nurses’ responsibilities.
Yulia Chernyuk, Chief Nurse at the Primary Health Care Centre in Boratyn village, stressed the importance of doctors and nurses working as a team.
“I was very interested to hear about the expanding roles of nursing. This is a very good idea. We have been striving for this for a very long time. I like the idea that, in the future, nurses could potentially be prescribing medicines through the Affordable Medicines Programme or managing patients with chronic illnesses,” Chernyuk concluded.
Strategic investments and strengthening Ukraine’s primary health care network
A dedicated session focused on strategic investments in primary health care and the opportunities created by recovery financing.
Participants discussed how investments can support the development of a stronger and more modern primary health care system that meets emerging health needs. They agreed that, beyond repairing and restoring facilities, investments should help to transform service delivery, strengthen networks and improve access to quality care across the country.
Another session on strengthening Ukraine’s primary health care network highlighted the importance of ensuring equitable access to services, particularly in rural and remote communities.
WHO presented the results of a national study showing that approximately 150 communities have inadequate primary health care access, with more than 20% of residents living more than 7 km from a primary health care facility.
Participants discussed practical solutions to strengthen the network of facilities, including standardizing service delivery points, improving data quality in the eHealth system, expanding the role of nurses through task shifting, strengthening multidisciplinary teams and providing targeted support for rural and frontline areas.
The people behind primary health care
The conference also featured a photo exhibition documenting the work of those delivering primary health care in Ukraine. The exhibition showcased doctors and nurses from different parts of the country, including frontline areas, highlighting their dedication, professionalism and resilience.
Portraits and personal reflections from health workers were displayed throughout the conference venue, enabling participants to learn more about the people who continue to provide essential services under exceptionally challenging circumstances.
The conference was organized by the WHO Country Office in Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the National Health Service of Ukraine, with financial support from the European Union and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.