As Ukraine battles the ongoing war, international efforts have steadily focused on how to support the country and its people through both immediate humanitarian assistance and longer-term development. Healthcare is a key area with large funds being directed to emergency care, mental health care, rehabilitation, infrastructure support and other system-strengthening measures. One such effort is being led by Sweden and Finland, with support from other Nordic countries, to construct a children hospital in Lviv, Ukraine. “Nadija Children Hospital” will be the first of its kind in Ukraine, operating as part of an integrated three-pronged system, together with a virtual hospital delivering telemedicine and mental health services, and a research institute for clinical research, professional training and practical application.
The Nordic countries’ support will focus on the physical component of the project, i.e. construction of Nadija Children Hospital. The ambition is to establish a state-of-the-art rehabilitation hospital that offers comprehensive care to children affected by the war through the following specific objectives:
- Providing long-term physical and mental rehabilitation for war-affected children
- Integrating evidence-based trauma recovery methods and ensuring continuous innovation through research
- Building regional and national capacity in paediatric rehabilitation, including the training of specialists
- Serving as a scalable and transferable model for trauma-informed paediatric care applicable to other post-conflict settings
Sida has been entrusted to lead the project preparation and due diligence process. NCG Sweden, in turn, has been contracted to be a close advisor to Sida during the project appraisal phase. NCG team includes four experts with backgrounds in feasibility studies, project design and appraisal of hospitals; the Ukrainian health sector, mental health and trauma recovery; environmental and social assessments; public-private partnership; experience with Sida and other Nordic donors/actors, etc. The work is ongoing until end of June 2026.