On 7 June 2025, 10 specialized intensive care unit (ICU) beds arrived at Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, Ukraine, as part of WHO and European Union (EU) efforts to strengthen the country’s health system to respond to emergencies in frontline areas affected by the war.
A further 15 ICU beds will be installed in the Zaporizhzhia Region’s emergency and intensive care hospital in July. These beds are essential for stabilizing critically ill patients and enabling health workers to provide lifesaving care.
WHO has verified 2446 attacks on health care in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Mechnikov Hospital, one of the largest referral hospitals in the Dnipropetrovsk Region, has suffered several attacks so far this year. The Hospital’s ICU remains a critical referral unit; between 2022 and 2024, it carried out approximately 28 000 ICU interventions, providing lifesaving care across Dnipropetrovsk and neighbouring oblasts.
WHO has provided sustained support to enhance the capacity and continuity of care in the Hospital. Together with the EU, WHO continues to build the capacity of regional hospitals in Ukraine in frontline areas.
Strengthening Ukraine’s health system
At the Zaporizhzhia Region’s emergency and intensive care hospital, renovation work is being undertaken alongside local authorities before the delivery of the 15 ICU beds.
Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine, noted, “In Zaporizhzhia, despite constant danger, there is a strong determination to strengthen the health system and rebuild better. The intensive care beds we are delivering will support this renewed hospital and its capacity to provide emergency care.”
Ms Marianna Franco, Head of the EU’s Humanitarian Aid Office in Ukraine, added, “Hospitals near the frontline are working under extraordinary pressure to save lives every day. That is why the EU is supporting WHO in strengthening Ukraine’s emergency health-care system, ensuring that frontline medical teams have the tools they need. Together, we are helping to keep Ukraine’s health system resilient in the face of war.”
This effort is part of a broader cooperation between WHO and the EU to support Ukraine’s health system in delivering essential services during wartime. In addition to critical care equipment, support includes medical evacuation of patients, emergency medical supplies, infrastructure rehabilitation for frontline hospitals (such as heating units), modular clinics for both primary care and emergency response, and capacity-building initiatives for health workers.