Ukraine

Summary of needs

Over 9.2 million people across Ukraine are estimated to be in need of health assistance in 2025. This includes around 2.2 million internally displaced people, 373,000 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) and more than 1 million older people. Health needs are driven by increased disruption to the health system, the burden of non-communicable diseases and heightened demand for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) due to war-related distress.

These needs increase during the winter and are compounded by damage to energy infrastructure and heating systems. Additionally, there is an increased need for trauma care and physical rehabilitation services as a result of continued violence and increased attacks on health care (34 per cent increase, as verified by the WHO Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care from January 2024). People with disabilities report the need for health care among their top three priorities (59 per cent), compared to households without members with disabilities (19 per cent). It is anticipated that the number of people with disabilities in Ukraine will continue to rise as the war endures.¹

The ongoing violence has significantly affected people’s mental health, with more than 53 per cent reporting experiencing anxiety, 38 per cent — depression, and 42 per cent — stress.² People directly exposed to violence, displacement or severe trauma, such as former combatants and other civilians in conflict zones, are highly vulnerable to chronic psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Violence has also increased the risk of GBV, mainly affecting women. War-related stress has led to a substantial burden of hypertension among affected people, with an increased risk in some front-line oblasts. Centralized accessible sexual and reproductive health care is lacking at the primary level, limiting access. LGBTIQ+ people often face barriers to accessing specialized health services, including mental health, and sexual and reproductive care.

The ongoing hostilities have affected access to primary health care as providers face rising costs, especially in areas of active fighting and those serving displaced people. Although the National Health Service of Ukraine continued to provide financial support, static capitation payments have left service providers struggling. The rising costs also remain a leading obstacle to people obtaining essential medical services. More than 34 per cent of households in Ukraine reported experiencing at least one barrier when seeking primary health care, with the cost of medicine being the leading obstacle (35 per cent), followed by the cost of consultation (15 per cent) and transport to access health services (7 per cent).³

Response strategy

Health Cluster partners will support the provision of quality health services in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and its Centre for Disaster Medicine, Centre for Public Health and oblast departments of health. Services provided will meet emergency needs while strengthening health system resilience. Aligned with MoH guidelines, emergency Medical Services (EMS) support, including trauma care and rehabilitation, will be provided for those affected by violence, displacement, or trauma, including former combatants. Participatory and community-based interventions will build the capacity and engage staff of MoH and national partners, ensuring transparency, ownership, accountability and sustainability of initiatives in line with the Health Cluster approach to localization. The Health Cluster advocates for CVA for health alongside service delivery to reduce financial barriers to accessing health services as result of the war.

Targeting and prioritization

In 2025, Health Cluster partners aim to reach 2.99 million people with health services. Priority will be given to people requiring life-saving health care interventions that routine government services cannot provide due to the impact of the war on health services in locations with high severity intersectoral needs (levels 4 and 5, and, in some cases, level 3 areas). In addition to severity 4 and 5 locations in the east, south and north, the response will target Kyiv, Dnipropetrovska and Mykolaivska oblasts because of multisectoral humanitarian needs.

Cost of response

An estimated $131 million will be required to provide life-saving health-care activities in 2025. Activity-based costing, based on averages in previous humanitarian health responses in Ukraine, was used to estimate costs across the key activities and produce an overall cost-per-person, which is comparable year-on-year. While the overall target has decreased from 2024, activity-level targets have risen, particularly in the provision of life-saving essential health care, including trauma and rehabilitation care, mental health, and winterization components.

Budget increases mainly result from the increased planned reach for capacity-building and cash and voucher assistance for health, which was adjusted to correct for under-targeting in 2024. Overall, operational costs have risen as security concerns in front-line areas and restricted access necessitate costly logistics measures and increased reliance on mobile health units. Inflation and global supply chain disruptions have escalated prices for medical supplies, while broader service demands, such as chronic disease management and maternal care, capture resources. The response cost was adjusted to account for inflation and reflects the operational realities encountered by the Cluster.