Investing in Children’s Health: From Shared Priorities to Budget Decisions

A practical workshop, “Investing in the Health of Children and Young People: Local Budget Planning,” was held in Lviv at the initiative of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, jointly with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and UNICEF Ukraine. The workshop brought together more than 60 participants, including representatives of the finance and health departments of all 24 oblast state administrations (military administrations, where applicable), the Kyiv City State Administration, and relevant ministries.

A distinctive feature of the workshop was the joint practical work of finance and health departments from oblast administrations, the Kyiv City State Administration, and ministries on budget decisions in the healthcare sector. This format helped bring together strategic health priorities, population needs, and local budgetary resources, while strengthening cooperation among professionals responsible for planning and financing healthcare services.

Amid the ongoing full-scale war and preparations for the 2027 State Budget, sound prioritisation of expenditures and more effective use of public resources are particularly important. At the same time, resource allocation decisions need to take into account demographic changes, workforce and territorial challenges, and the needs of different population groups, particularly children and young people.

“Given limited budgetary resources, it is particularly important to maintain clear priorities while improving the effectiveness of public spending. To achieve this, finance authorities and health departments must jointly identify priorities, substantiate funding needs, and assess the results of budget programmes. The health of children and young people must be considered at every stage of budget planning,” said Lesia Ivanyshchuk, State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine.

During the workshop, participants discussed the long-term challenges facing Ukraine’s healthcare system, approaches to planning the network of healthcare facilities, health workforce issues, and ways to identify regional priorities based on population needs. Particular attention was paid to access to healthcare services for children and young people, including continuity of care from birth and support for children who require particular attention from the healthcare system.

A substantial part of the workshop focused on the practical application of medium-term budget planning, the programme-target method, and gender-responsive budgeting. Participants worked on defining the objectives and performance indicators of budget programmes, taking into account the needs of different population groups and assessing expenditures in terms of the accessibility, quality, and outcomes of healthcare services.

A separate session focused on reviewing the existing classification of healthcare expenditures. Regional teams identified challenges in budget planning and developed proposals to improve the classification. These proposals could help better reflect what healthcare expenditure actually finances, enhance expenditure transparency, and strengthen the link between budgetary resources and the results achieved.

The workshop forms part of the ongoing cooperation between the Ministry of Finance and UNICEF to strengthen child-sensitive public financial management. Investing in the health of children and young people is an investment in preserving and developing Ukraine’s human capital. In a resource-constrained environment, it is essential not only to determine funding levels but also to ensure that budget decisions respond to people’s needs, support access to essential healthcare services, and focus on measurable results.

The workshop was funded by the Government of Germany through KfW, the German development bank. Experts from UNICEF, the Ukrainian Healthcare Center (UHC), and specialists in healthcare financing contributed to the learning and practical sessions.