Essential health care for older people affected by the war in Ukraine

Ukraine | 2024 | CBPF

Ukraine, Kherson. Elizaveta is 83 years old and has lived her whole life in Kherson. As a young woman, she worked on a collective farm. She raised two sons with her husband, who died many years ago.

Now, Elizaveta lives with her brother. Her sons are fighting on the frontlines. She’s proud of them, but also very worried.

Elizaveta lives with diabetes and has hypertension, and the nearest pharmacy is over 100 km away. Travel is difficult and expensive, and she had been unable to access her medication easily since the fighting escalated back in 2022.

In 2025, an estimated 12.7 million people—roughly 36 per cent of Ukraine’s population–-need humanitarian assistance. People across all regions are affected, with the worst impact in the east, south and parts of the north.

For many people, especially older people like Elizaveta, the rising costs of fuel and medicine make healthcare inaccessible.

Supported by funding from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF), a pooled funding mechanism managed by OCHA, Medical Teams International is running a fleet of mobile health care clinics. These have been a lifeline for people in the rural areas, providing vulnerable elders like Elizaveta, with essential care and medication, counselling, and other medical care.

“When doctors, nurses, and social workers visited my home, I felt as if it were somehow unreal. Help had arrived on my doorstep,” says Elizaveta.

She adds, “All this makes my life easier, and my days more fulfilling. I’m grateful for the Medical Teams organization– they changed my life for the better.”

Help for displaced people

Older people also face health challenges as they flee their homes, seeking shelter and safety in a new place. It is not easy to start over at any age, but older people may have more challenges to overcome.

Ihor Ivanovych left Donetsk, seeking safety in the Rivne region in August 2024. He now lives in a displacement shelter there. Ihor has been living with a painful ulcer on his leg for many years – but without family nearby to help him out, he’d been neglecting seeking medical help.

With funding from the UHF, Integration Centre has organized mobile medical teams to reach people like Ihor. Through the NGO, Ihor sought help with a specialist surgeon and a team member accompanied him to the doctor. The NGO also provided his medication, allowing him to live pain free after many years.

More information from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.

Pooled Fund impact stories