The World Health Organization issued an urgent call to address Ukraine's mental health crisis and trauma care shortages as the nation enters its third year of brutal conflict with Russia. Recent data shows 46% of Ukrainians now struggle with psychological trauma while frontline regions face catastrophic medical supply shortages.
People are exhausted – both patients and health workers. But as medical professionals, we don't have the luxury of fatigue,said Dr. Olha Zavyalova, an emergency surgeon from Dnipro. Her testimony underscores the WHO's findings of 2,254 documented attacks on healthcare facilities since 2022, including last July's bombing of Kyiv's Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital.
Key crisis points identified in WHO's October 2024 report:
- 100,000 war-related amputations requiring unavailable prosthetics
- 35% delaying treatment due to medication costs
- 4 million displaced Ukrainians lacking primary care access
The agency particularly emphasized neurological damage from chronic stress, with 41% reporting anxiety disorders and 38% showing neurological symptoms. Frontline regions like Dnipropetrovsk face dual challenges – only 50% can access care versus 60% nationally, while recovering soldiers require specialized rehabilitation services that remain critically underfunded.
WHO's recovery plan focuses on three urgent priorities:
- Deploying mobile mental health clinics in conflict zones
- Training 1,200 new trauma surgeons by 2026
- Restocking 89 emergency pharmaceutical depots
With 12 healthcare worker deaths already reported in 2025 attacks, officials warn that rebuilding Ukraine's medical infrastructure remains fundamental to national survival. Health is the foundation of peace,the WHO stressed, urging global partners to fund their $780M humanitarian health appeal.
