On 16 January, the Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine inaugurated a modern educational space—a training and resource centre for implementing the Universal Progressive Model of Home Visits to Families with Children aged 0-4 years.
The bright and modern space is in a reconstructed basement, so it can be used as a shelter. The safe educational centre consists of a training and stimulation area and has a capacity of 30 seats.
The Training and Resource Centre was established as part of the Care from Birth at Home programme. The requirements for its implementation were approved by the updated procedure for conducting medical examinations of children at home and in medical institutions.
"Data indicates that Ukraine’s birth rate has declined by almost 40% over the past decade. The full-scale war has deepened the demographic crisis,” said the Minister of Health Viktor Liashko speaking at the opening of the training and resource centre at SNHUU.
“Access to quality healthcare services is a critical component of Ukraine's demographic development strategy through 2040, which was approved by the government last year. During the early years of a child's life, it is vital to ensure access to necessary medical care and equip parents with comprehensive information about their child’s health, nutrition, hygiene, vaccinations, and accident prevention. To address this, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine has updated the procedures and frequency of preventive healthcare check-ups for children, including provisions for home visits by family nurses. We are sincerely grateful to our strategic partner, UNICEF, for its support in training healthcare workers to deliver better services to families with children,” added Mr. Liashko.
“The first years of life lay the foundation for optimal growth and lifelong well-being, which is why home visits are so important for caregivers and their children,” said Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine. “They are not just medical check-ups but allow for an assessment of the home environment and family situation to provide tailored support, so caregivers are empowered to create a safe and nurturing environment for their children. This is even more essential for families living through the extreme stress of wartime,” added Mammadzade.
‘We are very grateful to UNICEF and the Ministry for creating this modern and beautiful centre. It is already working and accepting students of this programme, our students can listen to lectures here during the alarm. It is important that experienced teachers and scientists of our University can join and help create unified curricula for such centres all over Ukraine,’ said Vyacheslav Kaminsky, Rector of the Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine.
Through the ‘Home Visiting Programme’, families receive support from healthcare professionals on immunization, breastfeeding, nutrition, positive parenting and early identification of developmental delays. The adoption of the new procedure follows the UNICEF-supported home visiting pilot programme in 2023-2024 that resulted in a positive impact on the health and social well-being of children and families covered.
The establishment of training and resource centres, along with the implementation of the ‘Home Visiting Programme’, is supported by the governments of Spain and Japan, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KFW, and Citi Bank. The setup and maintenance of training and resource centres are carried out by UNICEF's implementing partner, NGO ‘In Touch Ukraine Foundation’.
The pilot programme covered the following 15 oblasts: Donetska, Zhytomyrska, Kirovohradska, Dnipropetrovska, Kyivska, Lvivska, Poltavska, Volynska, Zakarpatska, Kharkivska, Mykolaivska, Zaporizka, Rivnenska, Chernihivska, and Odeska; and the city of Kyiv.
