Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine has created unprecedented challenges for the country’s health care system. Significant destruction of health care infrastructure has limited access to health services, and massive displacements of people have significantly complicated the process of providing and receiving health services. This context has given rise to an urgent need to provide health services, especially in remote and frontline areas where traditional in-person access to health services is severely limited or impossible.

This report analyzes the experience of introducing telemedicine solutions with the technical assistance of LHSS in Ukraine. It highlights the results, analyzes the experience, and presents best practices, challenges, and lessons learned. Additionally, this report provides recommendations for further utilization of extant and future telemedicine solutions both during martial law and after its repeal. The information presented in the report is intended to be useful for central and local authorities, health facilities, and telemedicine solution providers. It will also be of interest to those who wish to start using telemedicine solutions in the delivery of health services.

Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine has created unprecedented challenges for the country’s health care system. Significant destruction of health care infrastructure has limited access to health services, and massive displacements of people have significantly complicated the process of providing and receiving health services. This context has given rise to an urgent need to provide health services, especially in remote and frontline areas where traditional in-person access to health services is severely limited or impossible.

This report analyzes the experience of introducing telemedicine solutions with the technical assistance of LHSS in Ukraine. It highlights the results, analyzes the experience, and presents best practices, challenges, and lessons learned. Additionally, this report provides recommendations for further utilization of extant and future telemedicine solutions both during martial law and after its repeal. The information presented in the report is intended to be useful for central and local authorities, health facilities, and telemedicine solution providers. It will also be of interest to those who wish to start using telemedicine solutions in the delivery of health services.

At the end of 2022, the Local Health System Sustainability project (LHSS) analyzed the development of telemedicine in Ukraine and found a significant increase in the demand for telemedicine services in the previous few years. This was due to a combination of the COVID-19 epidemic and full-scale war initiated by Russia against Ukraine. LHSS supported the Government in drafting and ultimately approving a national Strategy for the Development of Telemedicine in Ukraine. In this strategy, one of the priority tasks was to define and further develop priority telemedicine services. This includes the development of technical models, algorithms, and business processes for interaction during the provision of medical assistance using telemedicine, as well as expansion of the functionality of the central database of the electronic health record system (EHRS) and medical information systems (MIS) in the field of telemedicine. 

In this webinar, from the academic perspective, the strengthening of global health with a One Health approach was presented. The National Institute of Health of Colombia also presented community-based surveillance.

In this webinar, panelists from academia and territorial entities discussed LHSS Colombia response to mental health.

This Spanish document summarizes the impact and learnings of the intervention Forging Healthy Environments carried out by the Sidoc Foundation for the strengthening of socio-emotional and citizenship skills.

Having proven invaluable in helping Ukrainians access health care throughout the Russian invasion, telemedicine is poised to play an integral role in health care delivery in Ukraine after the war ends. 

New capacities in delivering remote care are saving lives and strengthening Ukraine's health system resilience. 

In this video, learn how Colombia is strengthening HSS through: strengthening governance, promoting sustainable financing, accessing the provision of health services, and emergency response.

Colombia ha emergido como líder en la elaboración de políticas que integran a los migrantes a la economía y la sociedad, garantizan su derecho universal a la salud y movilizan recursos nacionales para cumplir con la creciente demanda de servicios de salud.

LHSS supported the MSPS to develop guidelines and recommendations not only for the provision of care, but also for rehabilitation and for health workers’ occupational safety and health. Once the protocols are adopted by administrative act, the MSPS will be responsible for the dissemination process. LHSS Colombia, as part of its transition plan, will be ready to support the process of disseminating the protocols to human resources for health working at the basic level of care in the prioritized territories.

Ukraine prioritizes telemedicine as part of its comprehensive health reform to increase transparency of health service provision, expand access to quality health services, and enhance efficiency in the health sector.

Colombia has emerged as a leader in creating policies to integrate migrants into the economy and society, guaranteeing their right to health and mobilizing domestic resources to meet the increased demand for health services.

Through a grant, LHSS support a COVID-19 surveillance program that allows health professionals to remotely monitor physiological variables and identify critical cases in Colombia.

This Spanish-language report describes the process of enrollment of migrants into Colombia’s social health insurance scheme and summarizes the activities.