The First Lady met with a delegation of Ukrainian healthcare professionals

On Friday, First Lady Diana Nausėdienė met at the Presidential Palace with a delegation of Ukrainian healthcare professionals who are visiting Lithuania to familiarize themselves with the organization of healthcare services in Lithuania.

Welcoming the members of the delegation, the First Lady emphasized that during the four years of ongoing war, Ukrainian medical institutions have been repeatedly attacked and destroyed, and many healthcare professionals have been lost. Despite this, the healthcare system has endured and has continued to function.

"What you have already accomplished is a tremendous victory of organized resistance to aggression and a true act of heroism," said Diana Nausėdienė.

The First Lady stressed that the reconstruction of Ukraine today first and foremost means restoring people's well-being and the normal flow of life. The war has caused significant damage to people's health: the health of mothers and children has deteriorated, infectious diseases have spread, chronic illnesses have worsened, contacts with family doctors has been disrupted, and preventive check-ups and vaccination rates have declined.

According to the First Lady, healthcare workers themselves are also carrying a heavy burden. Ukrainian society as a whole is living under constant stress, while war veterans and their families face serious reintegration and mental health challenges. "Healthcare systems in European countries have never before faced physical and psychological traumas and consequences of such nature and scale," she underlined.

The First Lady welcomed the strategic focus and ambition of Ukraine's healthcare system to return to a regular rhythm of healthcare delivery even in wartime conditions. "I am glad that your thoughts are focused onto the future. On the path of today's trials, timely reforms are essential. If Lithuania's experience and assistance become that rational foundation capable of saving many lives, if it is like a seed from a Motanka doll that helps rebirth and renewal, strengthening your country's healthcare system and all of Ukraine, enabling you to resist an aggressor whose nature and actions do not change for ages and which learns nothing, then together we will achieve a meaningful victory," Diana Nausėdienėspoke.

Speaking about bilateral cooperation, the First Lady noted the close ties between Lithuanian and Ukrainian medical professionals. Recently, doctors from the Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro visited the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania, while Lithuanian medical teams regularly train to work under wartime conditions in Ukrainian healthcare institutions, at the same time providing assistance to local specialists and gaining invaluable experience.

Thanking the Ukrainian delegation for their visit, the First Lady emphasized that Lithuania and Ukraine will continue to work hand in hand in rebuilding Ukraine's healthcare system and preparing it for integration into the European Union.

The meeting was also attended by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Lithuania, Olha Nikitchenko, the Head of the WHO Country Office in Lithuania, Ingrida Zurlytė, and the Head of Department at the WHO Country Office in Ukraine, Dr. Arkadii Vodianyk. The visit, organized by the WHO country offices of both nations, aims to adapt Lithuania's healthcare system model to support the reconstruction and strategic modernization of Ukraine's healthcare system.