Guidance

Support for British Nationals experiencing mental health difficulties in Ukraine

Published 10 September 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-mental-health-support-abroad/support-for-british-nationals-experiencing-mental-health-difficulties-in-ukraine

1. Disclaimer

The information contained in this note is intended for your general guidance only, it is not a substitute for obtaining your own medical and legal advice. Read the disclaimer relating to this guidance.

2. FCDO consular support: what we can and can’t do

Whenever possible we will seek your permission before taking any action on your behalf.

If you are having mental health issues during your stay in Ukraine we can:

  • help you to contact friends and family members
  • help you to contact your GP in the UK
  • help local medical staff to contact your insurance company or medical staff in the UK who may be able to provide advice on your medical history
  • raise concerns you have about your treatment or welfare with the local authorities
  • provide information on local medical specialists that may be able to support you
  • give you information about local pharmacies

We cannot:

  • give you medical advice
  • buy or pay for your medication, medical bills or other expenses
  • provide formal translation or interpretation
  • get you better treatment in hospital than is given to local people
  • get you discharged from hospital
  • intervene in any local legal process resulting from a mental health emergency
  • pay for you to return to the UK
  • stop you being deported if the local authorities decide you must leave the country

3. What to do if you need urgent help

If you are visiting Ukraine and need to see a doctor, due to feeling unwell or needing a repeat prescription, for example, you should contact your insurance agent if you have travel insurance, who will inform you how to make an appointment with a specialist.

If there is an emergency or urgent need for medical attention, you can:

  • call 103 for ambulance
  • call 102 for police in case of external or self-danger
  • go to the nearest hospital emergency ward (in Ukrainian ‘невідкладна допомога’)

English is not widely spoken and you may face communication difficulties if you do not speak Ukrainian. If possible, you should go accompanied by someone who can speak Ukrainian or ask a local person to help you with your call. A translator or interpreter might be helpful.

A hospital doctor will assess you. It would be helpful if you could share any medical documentation with your diagnoses and treatment. If needed, a doctor will take immediate action or refer you on for further care.

4. Non-urgent mental health support

For non-urgent medical assistance in Ukraine, you may take an appointment with a doctor or a therapist (‘лікар’ or ‘терапевт’), or a psychiatrist (‘психіатр’).

Residents in Ukraine should be registered with the family doctor (‘сімейний лікар’) operating within the local Health Care System. You can find details of the medical professionals in Ukraine through the medical and information system HELSI (in Ukrainian). A doctor will make initial assessment and, if required, will prescribe medication or signpost you to the relevant specialist or care.

If you are not registered with the local health care system and don’t have insurance, you will need to pay for the consultation.

If you wish to contact a psychiatrist (‘психіатр’) or psychotherapist (‘психотерапевт’) directly, you can check the location of your nearest psychiatric specialists and hospitals (in Ukrainian).

It is always helpful if you could provide any medical background including any previous diagnoses, mental health issues as well as previous or current medication taken, in order to assist with assessment and consider possible treatment.

Always keep your medical records secured as they are important for your further treatment plan.

5. Paying for treatment

If you’re visiting Ukraine for a short time and normally live in the UK, comprehensive travel insurance for your trip is highly recommended. Make sure it includes the necessary cover so that you can get any mental health treatment you might need.

If you cannot provide insurance coverage, you will need to pay for the consultation or treatment.

For residents in Ukraine with a declaration signed with a local family doctor, a consultation at a state medical facility is free of charge.

The healthcare system in Ukraine provides free emergency care. Access this by calling 103 or going to the emergency department of your nearest state hospital.

Whether hospitalisation is consensual or at the request of a third person or the State, you will be liable for any hospital costs.

6. Prescriptions

If you need prescription medicine while in Ukraine, contact a local doctor or a psychiatrist (‘психіатр’). A copy of your UK prescription can help Ukrainian doctors to find the same or similar medication.

You may be requested to pay for your prescribed medicines.

Pharmacies are usually easily identifiable by the presence of a green cross or the word ‘apteka’ (‘аптека’). The pharmacy usually has on display a notice saying where the nearest emergency pharmacy is.

7. Involuntary hospitalisation

Similar to the UK, in Ukraine people can be hospitalised without having given their consent if they present a risk to themselves or others and refuse assessment or treatment. Involuntary hospitalisation (‘примусова госпіталізація’) is comparable to the UK’s sectioning but there are differences in law and procedures.

Involuntary admission is governed by the state mental health law. Families or legal guardians can apply for involuntary admission of a person, but they do not play any formal role in the process of medical assessment and court decision on involuntarily hospitalisation.

When in emergency you are admitted to hospital involuntarily, a psychiatrist must testify that a mental disorder is the cause, with expert psychiatric panel to confirm the testimony. Then the hospital is to submit the request for further involuntary hospitalisation to a local court within 24 hours of the admission and a court must confirm the rightfulness of the psychiatric admission within 24 hours of receiving the request.

A psychiatrist at hospital will make decisions about assessment, treatment, discharge plan and further treatment.

Please note that the hospital might notify the British Consulate about your hospitalisation. Consular staff will not make decisions for you or have influence over the actions of the medical professionals in Ukraine.

8. Guardianship

If you are a resident in Ukraine and deemed unable to tend to your daily needs due to poor health of any kind, a legal guardian might be appointed to look after your interests. The court will usually try to appoint someone close to you, a spouse or other family member, for example, as a guardian. Should this not be possible, the court will appoint other person authorized by law to represent your interests including before the authorities or to make decisions regarding finance, healthcare or residence.

9. Returning to the UK

Read guidance on returning to the UK in medical emergencies or hospitalisation abroad.

Repatriation to the UK is possible in many cases through a medical repatriation company. You can check the list of medical repatriation companies to get the support you need.

Costs would normally be covered by travel insurance or personal funds.

The British embassy cannot arrange medical repatriation or pay for it.

10. Other useful information

10.1 UK information

10.2 Ukraine information

National psychological association: help-line - 0 800 100 102 (10:00 – 20.00 daily), video and audio calls via internet (scroll down the page to find the button)

Mental Help Project: English speaking doctor Natalia Grynko, consultations via Zoom or Google Meet

Suicide prevention line: tel: 7333 (24/7), chat-bot, online form

Consultations are free and confidential.

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