Mobile pharmacies are now serving a thousand settlements across Ukraine

Since their introduction in January of last year, 2024, mobile pharmacies have expanded their routes to cover a thousand settlements across Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.

A queue for medicine at a mobile pharmacy in the Kostiantynivka community, Mykolaiv region. Photo: Suspilne.

The first mobile pharmacy was launched in the Kharkiv Oblast. The government’s initiative aims to improve access to medication in remote areas. At the project’s outset, over 20,000 Ukrainian villages lacked pharmacies. In implementing this idea, government officials drew on the experience of the United States.

Over the past year, mobile pharmacies have been most active in the Kharkiv, Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions. These pharmacies offer both prescription and over-the-counter medications, including those available through the “Affordable Medicines” program.

The most in-demand medications include those for blood pressure, heart conditions, painkillers, vitamins, and digestive aids.

By way of background, the full-scale Russian invasion has contributed to the deaths of at least 3,000 Ukrainians due to a lack of access to treatment for chronic diseases.