Ukraine and the Baltic States Strengthen Cooperation to Effectively Respond to Health Care Challenges in the Context of War

In order to strengthen cooperation and study the Ukrainian experience in the field of health care during the war, delegations from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania visited our country. Currently, the Baltic States are developing or updating their national crisis preparedness plans, and our experience in this regard is extremely valuable.

During the visit, the current priorities and strategy for the development of the health care system in the context of war were discussed. The meeting was opened by the Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko and the Representative and Head of WHO Country Office in Ukraine Jarno Habicht.

The State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control (hereinafter – SMDC) and State Enterprise «The State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine» presented their practical work experience during wartime.

Opening the session, Deputy Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control Volodymyr Korolenko introduced the Baltic colleagues to the main functions of the SMDC, outlined the main challenges of implementing pharmaceutical policies, described the key decisions that allowed to ensure constant, efficient and effective management of the medicines quality control system, market surveillance of medical devices, control of legal circulation of narcotic and psychotropic substances and precursors, as well as the participation of the SMDC in the European Union integration procedures.

Important aspects of this work include digitalization of processes, development of an IT security system, ensuring a balance between access to medicines and quality control, monitoring the range and prices of medicines, establishing the uninterrupted functioning of logistics structures, providing pharmacies with alternative energy sources, and relocating pharmaceutical enterprises. Psychological literacy and psychological support for pharmaceutical employees, especially the “first desk”, are also important. Volodymyr Korolenko also emphasized the importance of cooperation with international organizations and foreign regulatory authorities and their support.

Representatives of the Baltic States were also interested in projects aimed at providing medicines to the population of rural areas where there are no stationary pharmacies, in frontline areas and in emergency zones: mobile pharmacy units (currently 17): in Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kyiv, Ternopil, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Kherson, and Chernihiv regions) and the Ukrposhta. Pharmacy pilot project covering Donetsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Chernihiv regions.

The work of the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control in the context of a full-scale war caused a lively discussion and a number of substantive questions not only from representatives of the Baltic drug agencies, but also from specialists of emergency medical services, hospitals, and health insurance authorities.

Cooperation with the Baltic States will help us to build sustainable and efficient healthcare systems that are able to respond quickly to any challenges, including in providing the population with quality, affordable and effective medicines and medical devices.