Perechyn community in Zakarpattia region and the city of Sobrance (Slovakia) have launched a joint cross-border project ‘Healthy Future – Joint Activities of Perechyn and Sobrance to Improve Health’.

The project implies investment and modernisation of the material and technical base of medical institutions in both cities. The total budget of the project is EUR 476,300, of which EU funds are EUR 428,670. The rest is the partners’ own contributions. The project is implemented within the framework of the Interreg VI-A NEXT Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine 2021–2027 Programme.

The trilateral partnership agreement between Perechyn city council, Sobrance regional hospital and Perechyn hospital was signed in October 2024, and project activities began this year.

In Perechyn community, as part of the project, the reconstruction of the local hospital building is underway to open a modern children’s department. Emphasis will be placed on introducing modern approaches to treating children who suffer from hyperactive disorder, neuroses and the effects of stress.

Ivan Pohoriliak, Head of Perechyn community, says that a separate building of the local hospital’s utility building is planned for these purposes.

‘At the outbreak of the full-scale invasion, we were forced to vacate the premises in the hospital that housed the children’s department and to transfer it to the military. Since then, this department has not been in very good conditions. There were only 15 beds, so there was a need to reconstruct one of the buildings in order to have proper conditions for treating children. The number of beds is 25 in two- and three-bed spacious wards,’ said Ivan Pohoriliak. He also emphasised that this is the first joint project of Perechyn community with its partner city in Slovakia.

The project will last for two years. During this time, the project aims to complete the reconstruction of the hospital and purchase the necessary medical equipment.

Jan Sklar, Head of the Sobrance community, said that the joint cross-border project is a successful investment in healthcare not only for the city but also for the region.

‘The project will be used to purchase equipment for our hospital for better examination of patients. We also plan to prepare project documentation for other hospital activities to build the entire infrastructure,’ commented Jan Sklar, ‘and we will also exchange doctors.’ In his words, several Ukrainian doctors work in the city hospital, and their work is of a very high quality. However, in general, there is a shortage of medical staff today.

Perechyn community in Zakarpattia region, home to 14,000 people, provides healthcare services to residents of two former districts – Perechyn and Uzhhorod (totalling about 60,000 people), and also part of the Berezniany district. The community restored its historic building of the first pharmacy, constructed in 1903, and equipped it with a modern city laboratory. Besides, the community spent UAH 12 million to overhaul the former maternity unit. This building will be used as a surgical and trauma centre.

The modernisation of healthcare facilities has already brought results: experienced doctors are returning to the community and patients are coming from Uzhhorod. With the new equipment in place, doctors are now able to perform kidney stone crushing operations, which significantly improves the accessibility of medical services for the residents of the region.