At the beginning of 2016, the Embassy of Japan, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and UNOPS, identified the need for more efficient diagnostic procedures in hospitals across Ukraine.

To aid in this, UNOPS purchased $2.5 million worth of medical equipment on behalf of the Government of Japan for five hospitals in the country.

Each hospital received endoscopy equipment (a diagnostic tool for digestive and bronchial diseases) and one of the hospitals received a CT scanner. In addition, a State Border Guard Service hospital received a CT scanner, digital X-ray machine and endoscopy equipment.

On 6 December 2016, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Minister of Defence Stepan Poltorak, Japanese Ambassador His Excellency Shigeki Sumi, and UNOPS Partnerships Director Nikolaj Gilbert, participated in a ceremony to handover the equipment at the Main Military Clinical Hospital in Kiev.

"For the Government of Japan, the issue of health in Ukraine is always of the greatest importance. In addition to a donation of $5 million to the Ministry of Health, the Japanese Government has donated, through UNOPS, $2.5 million as humanitarian assistance to various defense hospitals and border guard hospitals located in Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa and Kharkiv," said Ambassador Shigeki Sumi.

"It is very important that these hospitals receive the new equipment, both from the Government and partners. Japan is one of our partners with which relationships has become closer recently. I would also like to thank UNOPS for its management and cooperation, which led to such results," said President Poroshenko.

The new equipment will significantly improve medical examinations. The endoscopy equipment will speed up examination processes and shorten patient waiting lists. 

It will also enable hospitals to diagnose early-stage cancer in a timely manner.

The new CT scanners will dramatically decrease the waiting time for medical examinations. This means that double the number of medical examinations for cardiology, neurology and orthopedics, for example, can take place.

The new X-ray machine will increase patient and medical personnel safety, using 60 percent less radiation compared to the equipment currently in use. In addition, the donated equipment will allow for information to be digitally archived, enabling better information sharing and the creation of long-term medical records.

"UNOPS is pleased to provide procurement and project management support for this important project. We are committed to continuing to support the people of Ukraine in the health sector and other sectors of relevance for the Government. Just two weeks ago, we signed a host country agreement with Ukraine, which will enable us to cooperate further in the future," said Mr. Gilbert.

"I'd also like to thank the Government of Japan for supporting this important initiative," he added.

UNOPS purchased the medical equipment as part of a competitive procurement process, in line with the highest international standards. The efficiency of the process resulted in a cost saving, enabling UNOPS to purchase an additional set of endoscopy equipment for the State Border Guard Service hospital.