Healthcare as security – lessons from Ukraine for Europe
Healthcare as security
In conflicts, hospitals are often targeted not only to harm individuals but to destabilize entire regions. Ukraine is a stark example: over 1,700 attacks on healthcare facilities have been confirmed since 2022, according to WHO. Each destroyed hospital is more than a humanitarian crisis – it is a blow to regional stability.
Hospitals are pillars of society. When they are destroyed, families flee, children lose access to care, and local economies collapse. This makes healthcare not only a humanitarian concern, but a national security issue.
Lessons from Ukraine for Europe
Healthcare is not just a national issue. It is a foundation of security across Europe. When Ukrainian hospitals fall, the pressure is felt in neighbouring countries through refugee flows, economic strain, and weakened resilience.
Europe must learn from Ukraine: strengthening healthcare systems in conflict zones is not optional – it is a vital part of protecting borders, maintaining stability, and reducing the ripple effects of war.
Historical parallels
The weaponization of healthcare is not new. In the conflicts in Syria and the Balkans, hospitals were also targeted to break the will of civilians and force mass displacement. In every case, the destruction of healthcare multiplied instability, sending waves of refugees across borders and creating long-term economic and political consequences.
Ukraine is different only in scale – and in proximity to the rest of Europe.
The economic dimension
When hospitals fall, the costs ripple outward. Families forced to flee place pressure on neighbouring countries, health systems buckle under unexpected demand, and billions are lost in productivity. Investing in resilient healthcare is not charity – it is cost prevention. It is far cheaper to support hospitals in Ukraine today than to manage uncontrolled instability tomorrow.
The role of advanced medical technology
Devices such as the BOWA Lotus 4 prove that targeted interventions can multiply impact. While stabilization happens closer to the frontline, regional hospitals equipped with advanced surgical tools dramatically increase survival chances.
Every device means 14,600 operations over 10 years, with a cost per surgery of just €1.97. Technology like this ensures that once patients survive the frontline, they have a real chance to live – and recover.
A scene from Kharkiv
In Kharkiv Regional Hospital, doctors describe moments where the choice was stark: close the operating theatre due to lack of equipment, or continue against impossible odds. The arrival of a single new surgical device changed that equation. Suddenly, patients who would have been considered beyond saving had a chance. “When we gain equipment like the Lotus 4, it sends a message: stay, rebuild, endure,” says Dr. Ivanenko, hospital director.
What resilience really means
Healthcare resilience is more than equipment. It is training surgeons to use advanced tools. It is ensuring supply chains for spare parts and maintenance. It is transparent reporting so donors know their support has impact. And above all, it is keeping hospitals open, no matter the pressure.
👉 See our News article on the first BOWA Lotus 4 installation: https://1forukraine.com/news/bowa-lotus4-kharkiv
The bigger picture
Ukraine teaches us that healthcare is a pillar of stability. When hospitals work, societies endure. When hospitals collapse, instability spreads. Europe’s lesson is clear: investing in healthcare resilience is investing in collective security.
👉 Learn more about why hospitals are Europe’s frontline in our Insight article: https://1forukraine.com/insight/healthcare-europe-frontline
Take action
Join us in strengthening Ukraine’s healthcare system. By doing so, we safeguard not only lives in Ukraine but the stability of Europe itself.