Preserving mental health: World Bank gives Ukraine €100 million loan

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the World Bank signed an agreement on a loan in the amount of 100 million euros, which will be directed to a new project — the Health Enhancement And Lifesaving (HEAL) Ukraine Project.

The press service of the Ministry of Health reported this.

"Today, the Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko and the Director of the World Bank for Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova Arup Banerjee signed an agreement on a loan in the amount of 100 million euros and an agreement on a non-refundable grant of 10 million US dollars from the Global Financial Fund. These funds will provide the project's initial financing, the total cost of which will be 500 million US dollars," the message reads.

As noted, the project will include measures to meet new and urgent needs in the field of mental health care and rehabilitation. In particular, measures aimed at the implementation of effective rehabilitation services and services in the field of mental health will be financed.

The project provides for the purchase of necessary rehabilitation equipment and vehicles for mobile multidisciplinary mental health teams, carrying out restoration work in institutions providing services in the field of mental health care and rehabilitation, and training of medical workers of health care institutions at the primary and specialized levels.

In addition, the HEAL project plan includes measures to restore and support primary care facilities and hospitals. First of all, it is about the restoration of damaged and destroyed buildings and structures of medical institutions.

Another important direction of the project is the support of digitalization and innovations in the medical field.

The Ministry of Health reports that with the support of the World Bank, the implementation of two large projects in the healthcare field continues. In particular, these are the projects "Improving health care at the service of people" and "Emergency response to COVID-19 and vaccination in Ukraine". The total volume of the World Bank loan for these projects is 681.1 million dollars.