Implementation Period: September 2023 – December 2024
Donors: Alliance for Public Health, through the Frontline AIDS and Gilead Sciences supported project.
Partner: Public Health Center of MoH of Ukraine
Overview:
The Help24 TeleHealth – Online Clinic was launched as an innovative telemedicine platform to ensure uninterrupted access to high-quality healthcare services for key populations (KPs) and people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Ukraine. The ongoing war, mass displacement, and healthcare infrastructure disruptions created significant barriers to accessing medical care, necessitating an urgent expansion of digital health solutions.
In 2023–2024, Alliance for Public Health and Alliance Consultancy re-launched the existing Help24 Portal into the fully developed Help24 TeleHealth platform, introducing a comprehensive online clinic – Help24 TeleHealth (h24.org.ua) as one of the core services. The platform was designed to deliver digital healthcare services remotely, ensuring that displaced individuals, refugees, and those facing geographical and financial barriers could receive timely medical care.
The Help24 Online Clinic evolved into a full-service telemedicine ecosystem, integrating video consultations, mental health screenings, laboratory diagnostics, and medication delivery services. The project strengthened hybrid healthcare models, allowing for both digital and in-person consultations in key locations.
Key Objectives:
- Expand Help24 TeleHealth into a fully operational online clinic, providing virtual consultations, medical prescriptions, and follow-up care for PLHIV and KPs.
- Establish three regional telemedicine hubs to support hybrid healthcare service models and improve digital health infrastructure.
- Reach 5,000 clients, providing critical healthcare interventions through online and in-person services.
- Ensure continuity of HIV care, ART prescriptions, PrEP access, mental health support, and STI treatment through telemedicine.
- Strengthen telemedicine integration with Ukraine’s national healthcare system, enhancing long-term digital healthcare accessibility.
Implementation & Achievements:
- Service Delivery: Provided 5,001 unique client-services, including:
- 949 unique laboratory test referrals
- 1,405 unique verified patients registered in the Online Clinic
- 2,647 unique individuals received ART medication deliveries
- Telemedicine Expansion: Developed a fully functional telemedicine platform and mobile app offering video consultations, remote medical support, and digital health solutions.
- Digital Health Integration: Established three telemedicine hubs in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Khmelnytskyi, enabling hybrid healthcare models.
- Mental Health Support: Conducted over 1,300 mental health screenings, integrating psychological support mechanisms into the telehealth platform.
- Policy & System Development: Partnered with the Public Health Center of Ukraine and NGOs to ensure the legal and systemic integration of digital health solutions.
Impact & Strategic Significance:
The Help24 TeleHealth Online Clinic represents a major step forward in Ukraine’s digital healthcare evolution, providing accessible, inclusive, and stigma-free medical services for key populations and PLHIV from Ukraine.
The project has:
- Redefined healthcare accessibility, ensuring that individuals in war affected zones, displaced, remote areas, and rural areas can still receive life-saving medical support.
- Prepared the integration of digital health solutions into Ukraine’s national healthcare system (not possible fully due to war), contributing to the institutionalization of telemedicine as a long-term healthcare model.
- Bridged the gap between digital and in-person healthcare, offering hybrid solutions that enhance patient-centered care and healthcare resilience.
Following these achievements, a new project was launched in 2025 to sustain and expand the Online Clinic and Clinical Hub, ensuring continued innovation and long-term impact in digital healthcare solutions.
