Save kids with Ukrainian Red Cross

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

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. 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.

Over the past few months, there has been quite a few achievements that we would like to share with you. Here are some of them:

In the Ternopil region, the Ukrainian Red Cross helped equip a space for the rehabilitation of children with disabilities. A new rehabilitation space has been established at the “Inclusive Resource Centre,” a municipal institution of the Borshchiv City Council.

The space is equipped with sports and specialised equipment, as well as materials designed to facilitate the learning and development process. Renovations have also been carried out to create a comfortable environment for the children. The space is adapted for children who require additional, permanent or temporary support in the learning process, ensuring their right to education. Here, the children will receive essential physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as the opportunity to develop, enhance their skills, and gain new opportunities.

Supporting healthcare facilities in the Kharkiv region to ensure access to vital medicine for all: the Ukrainian Red Cross delivered 30 kW generators to two key healthcare facilities in the region, which together treated 45,000 patients in 2024. They provide a wide range of medical services, including surgery, traumatology, therapy, rehabilitation, palliative care, emergency dental care, and more.

Support for a Child Rehabilitation Project in the Kyiv Region: a rehabilitation centre in the Kyiv region that serves kids affected by the war, primarily those evacuated from the occupied areas and children of deceased servicemen, required assistance in the form of heating briquettes. We provided 40 tonnes of briquettes to help the children continue their recovery and education in warm and comfortable conditions during winter, which completely satisfies the centre's needs for the season. 

Multiple First Aid workshops for students and teachers have been conducted across Ukraine, as well as mine danger awareness information sessions. Besides, we continue providing psychosocial support events and distributing psychosocial kits for children.

We stand by those in need! With your support, we are confident we can achive so much more good things to make lives of those in need a little better.