Providing Critical Medicines for Ukraine Relief

February 2024 marked two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and there is no sign of ending. The conflict is believed to have inflicted hundreds of thousands of casualties, including tens of thousands of civilians. 

In health care, the damage has been near-ruinous in the most war-affected parts of the country. Overall, the health sector has so far sustained approximately $1.4 billion in damage, rising to a staggering $17.8 billion if including the removal of debris, demolition of destroyed facilities, and other losses. 

Of the 9,925 public facilities in the sector prewar, 1,242 have been partially or fully damaged. The destruction was especially severe in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and the neighboring Kharkiv region, which also borders Russia. Additionally, 787 pharmacies were damaged or destroyed. 

Against this stark backdrop,Direct Relief has ramped up the largest humanitarian aid response in its 76-year history and has continued to assist its core partners in Ukraine, including the Ministry of Health, with more than 2,450 tons of medical aid, valued at $1.3 billion wholesale, to support the efforts of health workers and community organizations. Direct Relief has also provided more than $42 million in financial assistance to groups offering essential health services in response to the prolonged crisis. 

As the war continues, Direct Relief is focused onrehabilitation services for war-injured people, psychosocial and mental health services, support of emergency, specialized, and primary careand support for making health care mobile as people continue to move throughout the country, and resilient power to sustain continuous health services. 

Thank you for being part of Direct Relief’s continued effort in Ukraine.