They are already studying the experience of Israel, the USA and Great Britain in rehabilitation: in Ukraine, the number of veterans returning from the war could reach 1 million

«Today, Ukraine has all the prerequisites to become the country with the largest number of veterans in the world after World War II. This figure could reach 1 million people.“.

Andriy Kononenko, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, in his interview with the agency “Interfax-Ukraine” emphasized that Ukraine should already now begin to actively work on a system of rehabilitation of servicemen who returned from the war. According to him, Ukraine can become a country with the largest number of veterans in the world after World War II, and this number can reach a million people. It is important that the approach to rehabilitation be comprehensive and take into account all aspects of physical, psychological and social recovery.

Kononenko noted that to implement this task, there is already a decision of the National Security Council of May 14, 2021 “On the Human Development Strategy”, which aims to provide war veterans and their family members with professional adaptation and psychological rehabilitation services. However, as he emphasized, the implementation of this strategy requires updating the existing rehabilitation system, which must take into account the new circumstances caused by the current war.

“The renewal of the rehabilitation system should affect personnel policy, infrastructure and, of course, adequate funding should be provided,” Kononenko said.

One of the key aspects that Kononenko highlighted is the need to adapt international experience in veteran rehabilitation. In particular, he drew attention to the experience of Israel, where the approach to patient rehabilitation is comprehensive and begins from the moment of injury.

“The Israelis have learned to work with the patient from the very beginning, when he first appears in a medical facility. A rehabilitation specialist, a prosthetist, if necessary, a surgeon, a therapist work with him – all within the framework of a single system,” he noted.

This approach, according to Kononenko, can be implemented in Ukraine by creating rehabilitation departments on the basis of existing medical institutions. This will allow each hospital, especially cluster and supercluster ones, to have its own rehabilitation department with a sufficient number of beds for patients with injuries and wounds that require an active recovery process.

Kononenko also touched upon the problem of the shortage of qualified personnel in the labor market caused by mobilization, military actions and forced migration. He cited the example of Great Britain, which faced a shortage of teachers during World War II and implemented a special program for emergency training of military personnel for teaching.

“Back in 1943, British experts indicated that after the war the country would have a shortage of about 70 thousand teachers. To solve this problem, the British government developed an emergency training program, within the framework of which former military personnel could obtain a teacher's qualification. As a result, about 17 thousand military personnel became teachers,” Kononenko said.

He added that a similar program had been in effect in the United States since 1994, allowing 16,000 American servicemen to become school teachers. Kononenko is confident that this experience can be adapted for Ukrainian servicemen and veterans.

Thus, a comprehensive approach to veteran rehabilitation, including international experience and the creation of specialized rehabilitation centers, can become the basis for providing long-term support to those who defended the country.

“We must act now to provide our veterans with everything they need for their full recovery and integration into civilian life,” Kononenko concluded.