More than 1,200,000 medical services provided: Ukrainian Red Cross mobile health units deliver aid where it is needed most

Currently, 101 Ukrainian Red Cross mobile health units (MHUs) provide daily assistance to people in 23 regions of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, they have delivered over 1,200,000 medical services, including consultations, examinations, and referrals.

Mobile health units are teams of professionals, comprising family doctors, nurses, and drivers, who visit communities where access to medical services is limited or non-existent. Their goal is to ensure the availability of primary healthcare services, including measuring blood pressure, blood glucose, and oxygen saturation levels, and, if necessary, providing urgently needed over-the-counter medications or referring patients to specialised doctors.

“Mobile health units are not a regular medical service. Their mission is to support the state in providing healthcare to the population affected by the war,” said Maksym Dotsenko, Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross.

Since February 2022, the MHUs have been actively operating in all regions, particularly in areas where the number of internally displaced persons has increased significantly.

A key milestone in their work came in the summer of 2023, when they participated in the response to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region. The units immediately deployed to the flooded areas to provide both medical and psychological assistance to the victims.

In addition, a permanent mobile health unit was established in the Kherson region in July 2024, and a multidisciplinary unit was launched in the Odesa region in June 2024, with a special focus on rehabilitation and psychosocial support for children with special needs.

The schedules and routes of the mobile health units are developed in cooperation with the chief physicians of primary healthcare centres and take into account the needs of the communities. Local outpatient clinics and paramedic stations are informed about the visits in advance.

The Ukrainian Red Cross continues to stand by those in need!