In Kiev, We Presented the Concept of Integrated Care for Veterans
The ongoing war in Ukraine increasingly shows that isolated projects without systemic continuity are unable to respond in the long term to the rapidly growing needs of war veterans. The growing number of patients with physical and psychological consequences of war therefore requires an integrated model of care that connects rehabilitation, mental health and community support into one functional system.
It is with this goal in mind that the Czech Health Technology Institute (CHTI), in cooperation with Czech and European partners, has prepared the concept of integrated rehabilitation and psychosocial care for Ukrainian veterans. The proposal is based on the current needs of the Ukrainian healthcare system and at the same time reflects its long-term limits, in particular the lack of professional medical personnel and the need for scalable outpatient and community services.
International Cooperation as the Basis for a Scalable Solution
We presented the concept during the international conference International Forum for Integrated Veteran Rehabilitation & Psychosocial Care in Ukraine, which CHTI co-organized together with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Kiev. The event was attended by dozens of representatives of Ukrainian hospitals, rehabilitation centers, veterans' organizations, community centers, and European technology and healthcare partners. The forum also served as a platform for coordination and harmonization of international activities in the field of veterans' care, and therefore representatives of foreign development agencies, embassies, and international institutions operating in Ukraine also participated in it.
Discussions during the forum confirmed that the demand for holistic and coordinated models of care will continue to grow in the coming years. The experience of organizations and healthcare facilities that already apply an integrated approach to physical rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and reintegration of veterans into everyday life played a significant role.
The Integrated Model Connects Rehabilitation, Mental Health, and Peer Support
At the forum, CHTI presented a concept based on a combination of professional healthcare, modern technologies, and community services. The proposal is based on the principle of the so-called stepped-care model and multidisciplinary cooperation, which allows for more effective use of the limited personnel capacities of the Ukrainian healthcare system.
The solution includes, for example:
- peer support programs led by trained veterans,
- rehabilitation and therapeutic protocols in virtual reality,
- mental health support through EMDR VR and rTMS methods,
- digital CBT therapy and remote therapeutic tools,
- music therapy and community psychosocial support.
An important part of the proposed model is also a standardized patient assessment, coordination of individual services and greater involvement of non-medical workers, peer consultants and community teams in the care process. The goal is to create a long-term sustainable system that can be replicated in other regions of Ukraine.
Oksana Zbitnieva, head of the Ukrainian Coordination Center for Mental Health, together with other Ukrainian partners involved in the preparation and consultations of the proposed solution, also expressed support for the concept.
The concept is being developed with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and the Czech Development Agency within the Aid for Trade Ukraine program.
