Berlin – Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) Governor Carlo Monticelli and Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko, signed a €100 million loan agreement today at the Ukraine Recovery Conference. The objective of the loan is to restore and improve access to essential healthcare services and address urgent health needs in the country, including mental health.
The Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has resulted in significant damage to public health facilities, hindering access to and the provision of essential healthcare. More than 1,500 facilities have reported damage or destruction.
The CEB loan will play a crucial role in restoring access to essential medical services, expanding those related to mental health and rehabilitation, improving efficiency and quality, and modernising the healthcare network. The project is part of a larger framework operation - Health Enhancement and Life-Saving (HEAL) - estimated at $500 million and designed by the World Bank.
“We are delighted to partner with the Minister of Health of Ukraine and the World Bank to fund an innovative approach that allows us to join forces around a common objective: protecting the health of Ukrainian citizens and ensuring the resilience of the Ukrainian health system at this critical time. Investing in people’s resilience has been the CEB’s mission since its inception and we are proud to continue delivering on it”, said CEB Governor Carlo Monticelli.
“The cost of restoring Ukraine’s healthcare system from the consequences of full-scale war, which are already documented, amounts to more than US$14 billion over the next 10 years. However, Russia is trying to destroy not only our hospitals but also ruin our ambulances, pharmacies, take away equipment and medicines, and kills our medics. The overall losses of the medical sphere from the war are colossal — at least US$17.8 billion,” said Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko. “For our medical system to continue functioning and developing, the support of international partners, like the CEB, is critically important. Despite everything, we are working on building a system of quality, accessible, and free medical care for every Ukrainian. In the conditions of war, when the number of people with injuries and wounds increases daily, this issue becomes even more urgent.”
This project marks the first CEB operation approved for Ukraine following the country’s accession to CEB in June 2023. Developed in close collaboration with Ukrainian authorities, the project aligns with CEB’s Strategic Framework 2023-2027 goal of supporting the reconstruction and rehabilitation needs of Ukraine’s social sectors.