Kiev hopes for further cooperation with Canadian Red Cross

MOSCOW. April 6 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko is hopeful that cooperation with the Canadian Red Cross and the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society will continue.

"Ukraine is sincerely grateful to the people of Canada for their strong support. We appreciate the assistance that has been provided, including in the field of healthcare. The initiatives being implemented by the Canadian Red Cross and the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society are vital. We hope that this cooperation will continue and will expand," Ukrainian media quoted Lyashko as saying at a meeting with general director of the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society Maxim Dotsenko and President and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross Conrad Sauve.

The parties emphasized the importance of concentrating efforts on meeting the basic needs of Ukrainian patients in primary healthcare.

The Ukrainian Red Cross Society, in cooperation with the Canadian Red Cross, supports Ukraine's healthcare system in a variety of fields, including through the Homecare project and mobile medical brigades.

Presently, 1,000 social workers of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society are helping elderly people and people with disabilities across Ukraine. The number of such social workers is expected to reach 5,000 by the end of 2025. There are also 100 mobile medical brigades that are visiting patients in remote populated localities across the country. Their number is expected to increase to 150 soon. Each team consists of highly skilled specialists with a long record of service. They are providing medical and psychological aid.

The participants in the meeting also discussed cooperation in the field of mental, physical and social rehabilitation, the need for which keeps growing all the time.