Medical rehabilitation facility in Zaporizhzhia to enhance capacity through German-Ukrainian partnership

The rehabilitation center at City Hospital No. 3 is set to enhance its capacity through a new partnership project between Zaporizhzhia and Oberhausen. This initiative, aimed at improving the center’s equipment and training medical staff, has received funding from the Partnership Projects for Sustainable Local Development (Nakopa) program of Engagement Global.

The project focuses on the reconstruction and further development of the medical facility, providing outpatient rehabilitation treatment for wounded military personnel, war veterans, internally displaced persons, and victims of shelling, as well as other individuals requiring special medical attention. Currently, the rehabilitation center treats over 500 patients per month, a number expected to rise due to the ongoing Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Given this growing demand, strengthening the capacity of the rehabilitation center has been a priority for the City Development Institute of Zaporizhzhia and Büro für Interkultur, which developed the project in 2023.

With funding from Engagement Global, the rehabilitation center will receive modern equipment worth nearly 80,000 euros. Additionally, medical professionals from Zaporizhzhia will have the opportunity to exchange experiences with their German counterparts through online workshops and a study visit to Oberhausen.

The project was officially launched at a video meeting involving partners from the administrations and medical facilities of the two cities. Ms. Svitlana Kanyhina, head of the outpatient rehabilitation and physiotherapy department at City Hospital No. 3, described how the healthcare system in a frontline city continues to operate under regular shelling, power outages, and increasing medical demands. The video conference also included Ms. Carola Münch-Vanderhenst, director of the AMEOS Reha Zentrum Oberhausen, and Ms. Simone Pietrasch-Johimski from the Oberhausen Health Department, who were eager to learn how the social and mental support system functions in Zaporizhzhia under such challenging conditions.

The partners emphasized that the project would be mutually beneficial for medical specialists from both Zaporizhzhia and Oberhausen, as it focuses on the exchange of experiences and knowledge.

The procurement of rehabilitation equipment is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. During this period, the City Development Institute will also conduct a learning needs assessment among hospital staff and specialists from the Healthcare Administration. These findings will help develop a training program and organize a study visit in 2025.

This project marks a significant step in the further development of the rehabilitation center. Hospital staff believe that the experience of cooperation with Oberhausen and Engagement Global will facilitate attracting additional funding for new projects in the future.