Ukraine: in the Odesa region, Expertise France committed to support the strengthening of the health sector

On Saturday, July 4, the Odesa Superhumans Center was inaugurated in the presence of the Ukrainian First Lady, Mrs. Olena Zelenska and Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko, as well as representatives of the Government, Parliament and international community. On this occasion, the deputy CEO of Expertise France made the trip to Odessa, where the agency is conducting an overall intervention in favor of the recovery and modernization of the health system, for a volume of activities close to 7 M€.

This action is based on two complementary instruments, the APPUI project, funded by the Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (€18 million), and the REHAB project, funded by the French Development Agency (€5 million), both managed by the Health program according to a "Team France/AFD Group" logic. This articulation makes it possible to combine diplomatic and development funding in the service of a coherent strategy, from emergency response to the preparation of larger-scale investment.

The first pillar of Expertise France’s action concerns the reconstruction and rehabilitation of health infrastructure.

The Superhumans center in Odesa, a future reference point in physical medicine and rehabilitation for war wounded in the south of the country, designed on the model of the national center in Lviv and sized for nearly 800 patients per year, is one of the flagships of the Health Program. 

In parallel, Expertise France also supports the renovation of rehabilitation hospital departments in several institutions in the region, some of which, like Artsyz, that remain accessible only through a narrow corridor passing through Moldova, as well as five mental health centers within pivotal hospitals in the region, in support of the Ukrainian national plan. These constructions are associated with a substantial effort in equipment: vehicles for mobile teams and furniture for mental health centers, technical rehabilitation platforms for hospital departments supported in reconstruction.

Beyond this, the action also aims to sustain the operationalization of these new Mental Health facilities. Expertise France will support the  coordination of these mental health centers, through support to logistics, patient orientation, implementation of recommendations and coordination of involved actors, in close collaboration with national and regional authorities and with the mental health program "How are U?" worn by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.

Capacity-building is another major component of the implemented activities. Medical and paramedical team of the new Superhumans center have already received training in France, in Nancy with UGECAM Nord-Est, and a second phase is scheduled for Marseille in autumn 2026 with UGECAM PACA-Corsica and the AP-HM hospitals, and a specific designed program to enhance the development of specialties within the Ukrainian health system (maxillofacial surgery, amputee rehabilitation, 3D printing in accordance with European standards) is led by the NGO Superhumans War Trauma Center and funded by the REHAB project on a national broader perspective.

French-Ukrainian hospital cooperation has strengthened since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Expertise France has thus financed sixty twinning between French and Ukrainian institutions, including three anchored in Odessa and registered in the “International Medical Partnership”, an initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine: the Lenval Foundation (Nice) with the regional pediatric hospital, The Caen University Hospital with the regional mental health center, and the cooperation between Superhumans and the institutions of Marseille. Additionally, practitioners from all over Ukraine, including the Odesa region were integrated in training programs in major French oncology centers. These partnerships promote French hospital excellence while strengthening the relationship with Ukrainian institutions. 

“L’Initiative” is a French facility implemented by Expertise France as part of France’s contribution to the Global Fund. It aims to accelerate the fight against major pandemics and help countries improve access to quality health services.

Since 2022, in response to the war in Ukraine and its health consequences, L’Initiative has mobilised €9.71 million, notably through its Emergency Fund for HIV and Tuberculosis in Ukraine, to help ensure continuity of treatment and patient follow-up.

In the Odesa region, L’Initiative notably supports vulnerable women, people living with HIV and their children through the “Mother and Child Room”, set up by Alliance for Public Health — APH and hosted at the Odesa AIDS Center. This dedicated, secure and adapted space brings together several essential services within a comprehensive support approach.