First Lady Olena Zelenska and Minister of Health and Care Services Jan Christian Vestre visited youth services

'The First Lady of Ukraine is highly committed to youth and mental health. She wished to learn more about how we work with prevention and low-threshold services in Norway, and therefore wanted to see one of the initiatives that has been established,' says the Minister of Health and Care Services, Jan Christian Vestre.

He visited Ukraine this summer and, among other things, witnessed how the war has destroyed hospitals.

'I am impressed by how the Ukrainian health service manages to provide care and health services under extremely difficult conditions,' says Vestre.

At Headspace, he and Zelenska were given a presentation on how Mental Helse has developed the Headspace service and how they operate. It was Zelenska herself who wished to visit Headspace to learn more about how Mental Helse has worked to establish this counselling service for children and young people.

The First Lady was very engaged and had many questions about the service.

The experiences from Headspace will be important in the development of the "12-21" rooms for psycho-social support for young people, which are being established in five pilot regions in Ukraine.

'The challenging period of adolescence for Ukrainian teenagers is compounded by the conditions of war. That's why we do not copy ready-made foreign solutions but create our own model, adapted to the Ukrainian experience, our culture, and the realities in which young people live. Every young person should have a space where they feel trust and safety,' says Olena Zelenska.

Visiting a Ukrainian patient

Zelenska and the Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also visited Oslo University Hospital Ullevål, where they met a Ukrainian patient who had been evacuated under the Medevac scheme. Since 2022, Norway has transported over 2,600 Medevac patients to Norway and other European countries. Around 480 of these have come to Norway to receive treatment.

'All patients receiving treatment in Norwegian clinics express their sincere gratitude for the high-quality care, including surgical procedures, orthopedic support, neurorehabilitation, and other specialized services. We deeply appreciate this assistance and will always remember it,' says Zelenska.

'The Norwegian health service has made a tremendous effort in treating patients from Ukraine who have received care in Norway. While helping Ukraine, our health personnel are also gaining valuable clinical experience in treating war injuries and rehabilitation. This is important for Norwegian civil preparedness,' says Vestre.

Comprehensive health cooperation

In July, Norway and Ukraine signed a health partnership agreement enhancing their cooperation in health.

'We are actively looking into how we can Norway and Ukraine can cooperate closer in the field of health,' says Vestre.

'There is a significant need for mental and physical rehabilitation in Ukraine. Norway contributes through humanitarian partners such as the Red Cross, UNICEF and WHO, providing life-saving medical support, mobile clinics and mental health services. Norway also contributes with expertise, supplies of equipment, medicines, and other materials,' says Vestre.

Since 2019, Norway has had institutional health cooperation with Ukraine. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), Akershus University Hospital, RVTS-East and Sunnaas Hospital collaborate with Ukrainian partners on, among other things, antimicrobial resistance, mental health, and physical rehabilitation.

Great commitment

Zelenska is married to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She has established herself as a central advocate for education, mental health, equality and humanitarian work both within and outside Ukraine. Through the Olena Zelenska Foundation, she works for the health, education, and psychosocial support of children and young people.

She is also the initiator of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen - an international platform for cooperation on global humanitarian issues such as gender equality, mental health and child safety.