Solutions from Ukraine: Fortitude mobile clinics provide aid to residents of de-occupied areas

Fortitude mobile clinics continue to operate in Kherson and Sumy regions.

Rubryka reports this.

What is the problem?

In front-line and newly liberated areas, the extensive damage to infrastructure has severely restricted residents' access to essential services, particularly medical assistance. Those who remained despite the war, or returned after liberation, face significant challenges in obtaining the necessary support.

In formerly occupied territories, hospitals, roads, and pharmacies have suffered damage, leaving locals unable to access essential medicines or use public transport to reach stationary medical facilities.

Additionally, these regions face a shortage of qualified doctors, as the damaged infrastructure leaves them with nowhere to work, often preventing them from returning home.

What is the solution?

Fortitude mobile clinics address these challenges by offering an optimal solution for residents in de-occupied and affected areas. Operating in the Kherson and Sumy regions, these clinics provide free medical assistance to residents. People can consult with doctors, undergo necessary examinations, take tests, and receive medications and glasses.

A mobile clinic is a converted truck equipped with three patient rooms and the necessary medical equipment, allowing it to operate autonomously in any conditions. Currently, Fortitude has four such clinics, but it plans to expand the fleet to 10 by 2025 to serve more de-occupied areas.

How does it work?

Fortitude visits predetermined settlements, coordinated with local authorities and considering all security factors. 

Residents come to the mobile clinic's location for appointments, which include consultations with specialized doctors and thorough examinations.

The team usually includes:

• a family doctor,
• a neurologist,
• an endocrinologist,
• an ophthalmologist,
• a cardiologist who can do an electrocardiogram.

Depending on the community's needs, specialists' composition may change. Patients can also undergo:

• Ultrasound (abdominal cavity, thyroid gland, kidneys, mammary glands),
• laboratory tests: determination of TSH, glucose, cholesterol levels.
• People receive free medications and glasses as prescribed by doctors.

In total, 30,000 residents of the Kherson region have contacted Fortitude mobile clinics. Since 2022, Fortitude has also helped people in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions.

"With the beginning of the war, and especially during the occupation, many health problems arose. A visit to the mobile clinic was the first step in solving them. I received the necessary recommendations and medicines and started treatment," Liudmyla from Vysokopillia, in the Beryslav district of the Kherson region, said.

Fortitude mobile clinics continue to operate in the Kherson and Sumy regions.

Local authorities announce the work schedule. To get help, follow local official communication channels and visit mobile clinics.

For reference:

In February, Health Minister Viktor Liashko announced that the Ministry of Health intends to expand the mobile pharmacy project to all regions.

As reported, in January 2024, the first mobile pharmacy started operating in the Kharkiv region, the route of which covers 80 settlements.

In February, a mobile pharmacy was launched in the Cherkasy region, which covers 36 settlements. Mobile pharmacies dispense both over-the-counter and prescription drugs, including under the "Affordable Medicines" e-prescription program.