Ukraine: one in three people with chronic conditions have problems accessing healthcare

Ukraine: one in three people with chronic conditions have problems accessing healthcare Melina ZachariouTwo in five households remaining in Ukraine have at least one person with a chronic illness and a third of these are finding it difficult to access the care they need because of the ongoing war, a World Health Organization survey has found.Fewer than a third of the 1000 households that have so far responded to the needs assessment survey said that they have sought health services recently, mainly (39% of respondents) because of the security situation, although around a third (27%) said there were no healthcare services in their area.Jarno Habicht, WHO representative and head of the WHO country office in Ukraine, said that the findings show the urgent need for continued health systems support in Ukraine.Most households (70%) surveyed are sheltering in their own homes, while one in 10 (11%) are staying with friends and family members in relatively safer areas, 8% are on the move within Ukraine, and 3% are in a shelter or camp for internally displaced people.