Медицина без бар’єрів: як на Сумщині створюють інклюзивний простір для пацієнтів

For many patients, a visit to the doctor begins long before they reach the reception desk – it starts at the hospital entrance. However, for the elderly, parents with strollers, and wheelchair users, physical obstacles such as steep stairs, narrow doorways, and high thresholds often turn a routine medical visit into a significant challenge.

To ensure that healthcare is truly accessible, NGO "Eleos-Ukraine" has launched an initiative to modernize the entrances of two key medical facilities in the Sumy region:

The Regional Clinical Medical Center for Socially Dangerous Diseases (Sumy);
The Urgent Care Unit in the village of Zarichne (Putivl community).

From Assessment to Action

Meaningful change requires professional precision. Our team, in collaboration with expert engineers, conducted comprehensive on-site technical audits of these facilities. We analyzed every detail – from the slope and width of ramps to the functionality of entryways and the implementation of tactile navigation for the visually impaired.

Our mission is to ensure these spaces fully comply with Ukraine’s State Building Standards (DBN), transforming them into truly inclusive environments.

Restoring Dignity through Accessibility

Once completed, these improvements will allow more than 1,000 patients to access medical services independently, with dignity, and without the stress of navigating physical barriers. We believe a visit to the doctor should be a step toward recovery, not an endurance test.

"We want every individual to enter a medical facility independently, without relying on others or struggling with obstacles. Accessibility must be the baseline standard – the result of thoughtful technical design," says the project team.

The "Modernization and Inclusivity of Medical Facilities in Sumy Region" initiative is implemented by NGO "Eleos-Ukraine" as part of the "Capable and Resistant: Sumy" project, supported by East Europe Foundation.