WHO Ukraine publishes 2024 Annual report: strengthening the health system to address immediate needs and long-term recovery

"In 2024, Ukraine’s health system operated under immense pressure, and WHO - at the country, regional, and headquarters levels - is here to help build a long-term, resilient health system. Health workers, institutions, and communities have shown remarkable resilience, ensuring continued access to care despite the challenges of war. This year reinforced a critical lesson: Ukraine’s health response must address both immediate needs and lay the foundation for long-term recovery and systemic reform," stated Dr. Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine.

In 2024, WHO implemented its long-term 2024–2030 strategy for Ukraine, ensuring that response, recovery, and reform efforts progressed simultaneously. 

WHO supported stakeholders working in health and cross-cutting sectors, addressing the acute health impacts of war while implementing immediate interventions. These included the delivery of essential medical supplies, expanding mobile health services, rapid support for frontline health facilities, and capacity-building initiatives. Strengthening disease surveillance and outbreak response mechanisms also remained critical to preventing secondary public health crises.

At every stage, WHO has worked through and with Ukraine’s health system to ensure sustainability - not just short-term relief. At the same time, recovery efforts have played a vital role in restoring and expanding health services, particularly in the most war-affected areas. From rehabilitating damaged infrastructure to strengthening mental health services and supporting displaced populations, WHO’s work has focused not only on rebuilding facilities but also on restoring the systems and capacities that sustain them.

Importantly, reform remains at the heart of WHO’s engagement in Ukraine, providing a strategic roadmap for achieving universal health coverage, modernizing public health systems, and strengthening health financing. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the National Health Service of Ukraine, and other key institutions, WHO continues to drive reforms forward despite the ongoing war. The priority remains building a health system that is adaptive, efficient, and resilient to future shocks.

WHO Country Office in Ukraine’s Annual Report 2024 is now available at the link.