“Getting vaccinated at the pharmacy is quick, convenient, and you don't have to wait in long queues. Plus, the specialists here are great – I didn't even feel the injection, so I highly recommend it,” says Daria on getting her seasonal influenza shot in a pharmacy in Ukraine.
In February 2024 Ukraine adopted a resolution allowing influenza vaccination to be administered in pharmacies across the country. The Ministry of Health also made changes to regulations on the training of specialists. To provide a vaccination service, pharmacists must undergo at least a week of appropriate training at a medical university. Under the new rules, pharmacies that carry out vaccination in the country must also obtain a licence to practise medicine.
“We have been waiting for this historic moment for almost 2 and a half years. It is a great example of cooperation between the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and the private sector,” said Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine, who received his vaccination during a visit to the first pharmacy in the country to start administering influenza vaccination. “Now we expect a cascade of vaccination rooms to open in other communities, in other pharmacy chains, bringing the service closer to the people.”
Improving access to vaccines
Ukraine, like many other countries, faces an annual respiratory virus season that typically runs from October to May. The simultaneous circulation of influenza and COVID-19 poses a double threat, increasing the burden on health systems and potentially leading to more severe outcomes. This is compounded by the current challenges and strains on health-care infrastructure as a result of the ongoing war in the country.
Influenza vaccination coverage in Ukraine has historically been low compared with many countries in the WHO European Region. During the 2023–2024 epidemic season, 143 616 people were vaccinated against influenza, including 91 317 from at-risk groups (pregnant, older or immunocompromised people, and health-care workers), which is only 1.07% of the total target group.
Several factors contribute to this low uptake, including inadequate vaccine availability and public awareness, and misconceptions about vaccine safety and effectiveness. In past seasons, those who sought vaccination had to first purchase the vaccine at a pharmacy, then bring it to a medical facility (while keeping it at the correct temperature) where medical staff would administer the vaccine.
To support the Government in making influenza vaccination more convenient for the public, the WHO Country Office in Ukraine is working with the Ministry of Health to develop high-quality training for pharmacists using educational materials aligned with global best practices and guidelines, in consideration of the Global Influenza Strategy 2019–2030.
Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative in Ukraine, explained, “Analytical data show that pharmacies play a crucial role in improving access to vaccines for people in more than 20 countries. Ukraine is now joining them, again demonstrating significant progress over the past 5–7 years. We welcome the Ministry of Health’s strategic approach to this matter and, together with many other partners, support this initiative.”
Vaccination training for pharmacists
A training course for the first group of pharmacists was held in Kyiv in September 2024 at the Bogomolets National Medical University. Trainees learned about the epidemiology of vaccine-preventable infections, the basics of immune response, the complications of influenza, international experience of vaccination in pharmacies, indications and contraindications for vaccination, adverse events following immunization, emergency care, etc.
Ksenia Koval, a pharmacist in the first cohort of trainees, noted, “The course consisted of a theoretical part and practical skills. We were taught how to properly vaccinate, how to store vaccines, how to fill out documentation, how to communicate with a client. We say that, from now on, they can get vaccinated against the flu right away in a pharmacy, thereby relieving the burden on doctors and health-care institutions.”
The first
educational course was conducted by the Training Centre of Family
Medicine with involvement of leading experts in immunization and WHO
specialists as part of the implementation of the Pandemic Influenza
Preparedness (PIP) Framework Partnership Contribution. WHO will organize
follow-up visits to pharmacies to ensure quality control of the
influenza immunization service, and local experts will provide their
recommendations and suggestions for improvement.