1. Background and justification for the project 

Even before the war, there was a gap in eastern Ukraine between poor, backward rural populations and rich, modern, high-tech cities. The war widened this economic and social gap. Younger people have fled the rural areas close to the combat zones, towards Europe or the cities of the West. What remains are mainly elderly people who, despite the danger of being close to the front line, remain attached to their land and refuse to be evacuated to the west. The rural populations living close to the combat zones in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Sumy regions are particularly suffering from the devastation caused by more than two and a half years of war. The daily bombardments have destroyed civilian infrastructures (schools, hospitals, houses), as well as energy structures (water, gas and electricity) and communication routes (destroyed bridges, mined and/or damaged roads). These rural populations are thus deprived of access to medical care and are living in a critical humanitarian situation. With no means of transport and very few economic resources, the vulnerable elderly and/or disabled living in these half-ruined villages cannot get to the hospitals in the neighbouring towns that are still operational. For these reasons, our mobile clinics are primarily aimed at this vulnerable rural population. The Kharkiv Health Cluster (led by the WHO), in which we participate, encourages us to fill this humanitarian "gap", while of course complying with safety protocols (our members are trained in first aid and follow a mine risk education course offered by Handicap International in Kharkiv).

2. Concept and objective 

The aim is to safeguard the health and access to healthcare of the Ukrainian population by setting up mobile medical clinics in de-occupied rural areas of the Kharkiv region. Operationally, the clinics consist of 4 medical mobile units operating 6 days a week in the rural areas of the Kharkiv and the Sumy oblasts. It offers:- Regular (monthly) home care: consultations, electrocardiogram, dressings, medication, etc. - Transferring patients to the nearest functional hospital when their condition requires consultation with a specialist for a more in-depth diagnosis or hospitalisation. - Emergency evacuation in the event of an advance by the Russian army or increased bombing.