Improving the physical and mental health of the population affected by the armed conflict and increasing the competence of medical personnel in Eastern Ukraine

The main goal of this project proposal is to improve the physical and mental health of the population at risk of armed conflict in Ukraine. Specifically, the project focuses on: 1. Improving access to basic healthcare for people living near armed conflict zones 2. Raising mental health awareness and improving access to mental health care 3. Increasing the competence of local doctors in providing urgent pre-hospital medical care to those injured in an armed conflict. The beneficiaries of the project are residents of the eastern regions of Ukraine, living in relative proximity to the ongoing conflict. These are locals, especially from vulnerable groups - excluded communities, the elderly, people with disabilities or reduced mobility - who have severely hampered access to health care, as well as internally displaced people fleeing the war from the most affected areas. In total, the project will provide healthcare to 7,040 patients, 600 people will be actively involved in mental health workshops, 800 psychotherapeutic consultations will be conducted during the duration of the project and 100 doctors will be trained in providing pre-hospital emergency care to victims injured in armed conflict. The project will achieve the following results: Result #1: Affordable health care in the affected area The implementation of the project will provide healthcare to 7040 patients, mostly from vulnerable groups, of which min. 70% are women. Affordable quality health care will improve the health of the population and reduce the future risk of disability resulting from failure to address health problems at the onset. The provision of medical treatment as well as follow-up care will also reduce the financial burden on the patient and his/her family, which may have a positive impact on the higher resilience of the whole family. Result #2: Increased mental health awareness The project will raise awareness of mental health, its importance and needs, as well as warning signs and when it is necessary to seek professional help. Mental health is an integral part of the overall health of the population. Education about its importance leads to a higher level of care for the mental health of the individual, but also his/her immediate surroundings. Such primary prevention leads to a lower morbidity rate in the spectrum of mental illnesses. Through the implementation of the project, mental health education will directly reach 600 beneficiaries, and will indirectly extend to their immediate surroundings. Result #3: Affordable mental health care The implementation of the project will provide professional mental health care through 800 psychotherapeutic sessions. Professional and available psychotherapy will prevent the development of a mental health issue into the disease itself, as well as its possible subsequent transition to disability, and will thus prevent an increased economic impact on the individual and his/her family, as well as on the entire healthcare system. Compared to the general population, people from vulnerable groups are more susceptible to mental health problems, and thus the availability of professional care for these groups can have an important preventative impact. Result #4: Available professional training for local doctors in providing pre-hospital emergency medical care to persons injured in armed conflict Armed conflicts bring with them a large number of victims with multiple injuries. Most doctors are not specially trained to manage polytraumatic patients, but it is often doctors with non-traumatological expertise (such as GPs, in-house doctors, gynaecologists, etc.) who provide professional pre-hospital assistance to people injured in the conflict. The implementation of this project will increase the competencies of one hundred physicians working in the areas in proximity to the conflict, which will significantly increase the number of patients who will receive emergency assistance of improved quality. Enhancing and bettering of the provision of pre-hospital emergency assistance leads to a higher probability of survival, as well as less complications caused by the long-term consequences of injuries. In order to achieve the above-described results, the following activities will be carried out within the project, for the implementation of which it will be necessary to proceed according to the following sub-activities: Providing healthcare through a mobile clinic - material and technical equipment and availability of personnel for the mobile clinic - building contacts with local institutions and other actors operating in the field of health, and creating subsequent referral mechanisms - provision of medical care Mental health awareness raising - personnel and content preparation for workshops in the field of mental health - preparation of educational materials on mental health - implementation of workshops in the area of mental health Providing psychological help through professional psychotherapeutic sessions - trained professionals for the provision of psychotherapeutic sessions - realisation of psychotherapeutic sessions Organising professional trainings for local doctors in order to increase their competencies in the provision of pre-hospital emergency medical care - staffing for trainings - selection of suitable location and recruitment of participants - technical and organisational preparation of training - implementation of trainings The implementation of the project directly responds to the sectoral priority Good Health, based on the Medium-Term Development Cooperation Strategy of the Slovak Republic for 2019 - 2023. The implementation of the project is directly focused on addressing the cross-cutting issue in the field of equal opportunities.