More than 2,400 Consultations in a Year: How a Children’s Mobile Health Unit Operates in the Rivne Region

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the demand for primary healthcare has increased significantly — particularly among residents of remote communities with limited or no access to medical facilities. In response, the Ukrainian Red Cross has been actively expanding its network of Mobile Health Units (MHUs).

One such initiative is the Children’s Mobile Health Unit, launched in October 2022 in the Rivne region with support from the German Red Cross. The decision to establish the unit was based on a preliminary assessment of the local population’s needs.

The team — comprising a paediatrician, a nurse, and a driver — visits the most remote areas of the region on a weekly basis. During these visits, the specialists examine children aged from birth to 18, provide paediatric consultations, take medical histories, examine the heart and lungs, and measure oxygen saturation levels. When necessary, they prescribe over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, and children may also receive a thyroid ultrasound.

The Mobile Health Unit operates in close collaboration with the Rivne Regional Military Administration, the Department of Civil Protection and Public Health, the management of the Primary Health Care Centre, and the Rivne Regional Children’s Hospital. While the unit is not formally integrated into the regular healthcare system, it plays a vital role in supporting public health services and safeguarding the health of the region’s youngest residents.