Family nurses will provide comprehensive medical and social support to families with children under four directly at their homes. This has been made possible by a new regulation recently approved by the Ministry of Health.
On January 16, 2025, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine approved an updated procedure and schedule for medical examinations of children at home and in medical facilities. The new regulation standardizes the approach to medical supervision of children from birth to four years old under the program “Care from Birth at Home.” These changes aim to improve the delivery of comprehensive medical and social assistance to children under four, ensuring every child gets the best possible start in life.
The “Care from Birth at Home” program ensures that families with children receive support from medical professionals on immunization, breastfeeding, nutrition, positive parenting, and early detection of developmental risks. The adoption of this new procedure follows the program’s successful pilot launch, supported by UNICEF in 2023–2024, which positively impacted the health and social well-being of children and families.
“The first years of life determine the optimal growth and development of a child. That is why home visits are so important for children, their parents, and caregivers,” emphasized Murat Sahin, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine.
“Home visits are not just about medical checkups but also an opportunity to provide psychological support to families, teach parents to recognize early signs of developmental delays, and create a safe environment for children. During wartime, this service becomes even more critical for families.”
“Data shows that over the last 10 years, the birth rate in Ukraine has decreased by nearly 40%. The full-scale war has further deepened the demographic crisis,” highlighted Minister of Health Viktor Liashko during the opening of a training and resource center at the P.L. Shupyk National University of Health of Ukraine.
“Access to quality healthcare services is a crucial element of Ukraine’s Demographic Development Strategy through 2040, approved by the government last year. In the early years of a child’s life, it is essential to provide necessary medical care and give parents comprehensive information on child health and nutrition, hygiene, vaccination, accident prevention, and more. To ensure this, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine approved an updated procedure and schedule for preventive medical examinations for children. This includes home visits by family nurses. We are grateful to our strategic partner UNICEF for assisting in preparing medical workers to provide better services for families with children,” added Viktor Liashko.
Under the “Care from Birth at Home” program, family nurses will make four home visits lasting 60 to 90 minutes to families with children. Families can also receive six additional consultations with a family nurse at medical facilities upon referral by a doctor.
To prepare healthcare workers to deliver high-quality services to families with children, UNICEF, along with its partners, has established 12 training and resource centers in seven regions of Ukraine in 2024, including Volyn, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Another 10 centers are planned for 2025.
At these centers, healthcare workers can enhance their knowledge and skills on key topics related to early childhood development, such as:
- Counseling parents on routine vaccinations.
- Supporting and promoting breastfeeding (up to six months) and ensuring proper complementary feeding (from six months to three years).
- Preventing household injuries.
- Detecting signs of postpartum depression and providing emotional support to mothers.
- Promoting positive parenting and engaging fathers in child-rearing.
- Monitoring child development and referring families to specialists if needed.
- Identifying social risks, domestic violence, and directing families to appropriate services and institutions.
As part of the pilot program, family nurses are already conducting home visits in 15 regions, including frontline and remote areas, integrating humanitarian, recovery, and development efforts. Last year, over 40,000 children, their parents, and caregivers benefited from home visits provided by more than 1,100 trained healthcare workers. In 2025, the program will expand to all regions of Ukraine.
The establishment of training and resource centers and the implementation of the “Care from Birth at Home” program are supported by the governments of Spain and Japan, Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KFW, and Citi Bank. UNICEF’s implementing partner, the NGO “In Touch Ukraine Foundation,” manages the establishment and coordination of the training centers.
Additional Information
The “Care from Birth at Home” program is already operating in 15 regions: Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Rivne, Chernihiv, Odesa, and the city of Kyiv.