The war can additionally stimulate full implementation of healthcare reform – WHO representative

Coodinator for Health Financing Policy at the World Health Organization (WHO) Joe Kutzin, who is also the author of the recommendations for the revival of the public health system in Ukraine, told the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency in an exclusive interview whether Ukraine should continue implementing healthcare reform after the war, what the benefits of this reform are, and how the WHO recommends to revive the medical care system after the war.

By Anna Levchenko

Joseph Kutzin, Head of Health Financing at WHO Headquarters. The author of recommendations on the recovery of the health care system in Ukraine

Q1. What are the recommendations for the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war and the place of health in this system? 

There are several reasons why health and the health sector are critical to Ukraine’s recovery.  First, the magnitude of the attacks on health care has been unprecedented – even though WHO is still in process of verifying many attacks, since Feb 24, 2022 we verified 323 attacks on health in Ukraine – that’s more attacks in 4 months than in Syria since beginning of 2018 (298 attacks), for example. The physical destruction, combined with the psychological effect of the war on health workers and the general population, will have lasting consequences.  So, rebuilding the health system is critical for national recovery by ensuring that essential services are restored and that there can be response to new and increased needs, such as for mental health, rehabilitation, public health surveillance.  

Secondly, health is both an intrinsic element of human welfare and an investment for the long-term recovery and growth of Ukraine. The availability of high-quality health services and medicines convey a sense of