This week, a regular meeting of the Interagency Coordination Council on Mental Health and Psychological Assistance to Persons Affected by Russian Aggression Against Ukraine took place. The meetings are held within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program, which was initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska.

The meeting was attended by the wife of the President of Ukraine, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. The event was also attended by Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, who is a co-head of the Interagency Coordination Council.

“Psychological assistance should be as accessible and ubiquitous as medical care. This is an ambitious goal. There is no such program anywhere in the world. But no one in the world in this century has experienced what we are experiencing,” the First Lady said.

The meeting was focused on presenting the results of the audit of mental health services resources, analyzing what capacities each ministry has, how they are used, and what gaps exist.

Taking care of the mental health of our citizens should become one of the main components of post-war recovery, the head of the Ministry of Reintegration is convinced. This is especially true when it comes to providing psychological assistance to internally displaced persons and refugees abroad.

We express our gratitude to the Prime Minister and the First Lady for their personal involvement in the development of the mental health system in Ukraine.