Olha Fokaf

Hello and welcome!
I am a health policy researcher, MD, MSc in Healthcare management. Chevening 2021/2022, CUPP 2018 and ZavtraUA 2018-2019 scholar. Global Health Hub Germany member.
One more crucial thing to know about me - I believe that health is a right, not a privilege.

Five years ago I switched my career path from being a clinician to a healthcare manager and health policy analyst. I understood that in a new role, I could help more people, even communities. That's became my biggest passion. Since 2017, I have been working with Ukrainian and International institutions in the areas of health policy, governance, health service. While pursuing my MSc at the City, University of London, I worked as a researcher at The Wall Street Journal and contributed to several pieces regarding health and war in Ukraine. 

My research interests are health systems and health policy in Eastern Europe and developed countries, health sector reforms, and improving governance in global health. Since the beginning of the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, I have been interested in the post-war rebuilding/developing of the health system and devoted my Master's dissertation to this topic. 

WSJ •

Ukraine Appeals for More Support From West as Russia Resumes Strikes

Ukraine said it shot down nearly a dozen drones over the south of the country on Wednesday as the West moved to shore up the country’s air defenses in the wake of a barrage of Russian missiles and drones that knocked out energy infrastructure earlier this week.

The barrage heightened concerns as Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday ahead of the latest meeting of more than 50 Western countries under the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels.
Conference •

A Practical Assessment of The Potential Public Health Consequences of Russian Military Aggression in Ukraine

The initial implications on public health, due to russian military aggression are widely
covered in the Ukrainian and world media. However, little attention has been paid to their
scientific analysis so far, as the humanitarian crisis and military action hinder data collection Based on the literature review, 12 factors were identified as a
consequence of war’s impact on public health. A questionnaire, specifically designed for
double-sided comparison DEMATEL Technique, covered these factors. Experts assessed the
direct associations between influential factors in public health.
WSJ •

Ukraine’s Home Heating Network Threatened by Russian Attacks

Ukrainian officials have said recent Russian airstrikes knocked out nearly one-third of the country’s electricity-generating power stations and damaged some of the country’s crucial central-heating systems.

Those systems use a collection of plants that mostly burn natural gas to heat up water, which is then pumped through citywide piping networks. The hot water heats almost half of all Ukraine’s buildings. The damage makes cities including Kyiv vulnerable to not only blackouts, but also extended periods without heat.
WSJ •

Russia Uses Iranian-Made Drones to Strike Military Base Deep Inside Ukraine

BILA TSERKVA, Ukraine—Russia used suicide drones to strike a military base deep inside Ukraine on Wednesday, posing a growing challenge for Kyiv as its forces pressed advances in the south and east of the country.

The head of the Kyiv regional military administration said six explosions had been heard overnight in Bila Tserkva, about 50 miles south of the Ukrainian capital. Oleksiy Kuleba said the attack was carried out by Iranian-made Shahed-136 delta-wing drones, which Russia has begun deploying in recent weeks. Rescue workers were on scene extinguishing a fire and assessing damage, Mr. Kuleba said, adding that one person was wounded.
WSJ •

Ukrainian Forces Punch Forward in East, Threatening Russian Supply Lines

Ukraine’s military advanced as much as 30 miles in the country’s east and liberated more than 20 villages and towns, a senior commander said, in a rapid thrust aimed at cutting Russian supply routes.

Brig. Gen. Oleksiy Hromov, a senior officer on Ukraine’s General Staff, gave the first official confirmation of the gains of an offensive launched Tuesday to the east of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv.
WSJ •

Ukrainian Troops Advance in East as Kyiv Seizes the Initiative

An unexpected Ukrainian military offensive in the east near the country’s second-largest city of Kharkiv is gaining ground, testing Russian occupation forces that also are under pressure in southern Ukraine, in the latest sign that Ukraine’s defenders are seizing the military initiative.

Ukrainian units are advancing eastward from Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian officials and Russian war bloggers, targeting a critical Russian supply route.
WSJ •

Russia Destroyed Mariupol. Now It’s Using It for Propaganda.

I have recently contributed to the story that is forever etched in Ukraine's history, about Mariupol.

For Ukraine, it is the site of a heroic last stand by outnumbered troops defending a flourishing Ukrainian city. In Russia’s telling, it is restoring the natural order here, adorning the ruins of buildings with its tricolor.

Now Ukrainian city of Mariupol is in Russian hands and the world must know the truth from the 'darkest of hells'.
WSJ •

Ukraine Seeks Corridor to Evacuate Civilians Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Scores of people were trying to evacuate from villages near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear-power plant, Ukrainian officials said, as an explosion cut off access to electricity and water at a nearby town.

Electricity and water supplies in Enerhodar, Ukraine, were stopped after residents reported a powerful explosion Tuesday that shook the town, said Mayor Dmytro Orlov. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk appealed for Russia to allow civilians from the area—which is controlled by Russian forces—to cross into Ukrainian-held territory.
НВ •

Developing the health care system in post-war Kosovo: lessons for Ukraine

[Written in Ukrainian]Talking about the future of the Ukrainian health system and the multiple damages caused by russian invasion, I am certain of one thing - we have to look back and analyze the experience of post-conflict health system rebuilding, even if there is no explicit example for our case.
I invite you to learn about Kosovo's recovery journey in this article. While some of the successes and shortcomings may be specific to Kosovo, I believe that many lessons learnt from Kosovo may be applicable to health care reforms elsewhere, including Ukraine.
КУНШТ •

Medical innovations during a wartime

[Written in Ukrainian] I published this article in my beloved Куншт, to raise the vital question of whether wartime may be a time for innovations.
War mobilizes not only people but their minds as well. For centuries, while some people have been fighting the enemy on a battlefield, others have been seeking solutions to combat epidemics, treat war-affected wounds and deal with the burden of mental illness.
Follow me in my analysis of medical innovation history.