At least 200 mental health centers to be launched in Ukraine

This was reported by the Ministry of Health, Ukrinform saw.

“We strive to create a network of mental health centers that will become a key link for people in need of highly specialized assistance. At the basic level of our psychological support system, family doctors, psychologists in schools, libraries, and resilience centers operate. However, there are situations where the help of narrowly specialized specialists is required. This is why we are developing mental health centers throughout Ukraine. Currently, 23 of them are already in place,” said Minister of Health Viktor Liashko.

As noted by the Ministry, in previous years the government has focused on the implementation of mental health services at the primary level of medical care in order to facilitate and bring services closer to citizens as much as possible. The next stage is currently underway, which is the creation of a network of specialized care facilities.

In accordance with the Internal Resilience Plan, which was recently presented by President Volodymyr Zelensky, at least 200 mental health centers will be set up based on cluster and multi-profile supracluster hospitals across Ukraine.

Mental Health Centers will be staffed by multidisciplinary teams, including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, and other specialists.

Such spaces will function as structural units of healthcare facilities and will provide assistance on an outpatient, inpatient or at the patient’s place of residence.

The centers will provide psychosocial care (outpatient and inpatient); psychiatric care by mobile multidisciplinary teams (outpatient or at the patient’s place of residence (stay); support at the community level and assistance to the most vulnerable strata (children, veterans, displaced persons, and others).

Assistance can be received by both patients who have applied independently and those who have been referred by a doctor or provider of psychosocial care.

So far, 100 agreements have been concluded and 119 multidisciplinary teams of specialists have been formed. Also, 23 centers have been formally (infrastructurally) set up in eight regions: seven in Ternopil region, five in Vinnytsia region, four in Lviv region, three in Poltava region, one each in Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Rivne, and Sumy regions.

Starting from January 1, 2025, mental health centers will provide assistance under the new package of the Medical Guarantees Program. This will ensure the availability and financing of services at the state level.

Photo: Ministry of Health