A new Taiwan Friendship Building in the Unbroken National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv, Ukraine, for which Taiwan donated more than 5 million euros (US$5.74 million), is expected to open as early as next month.
An official unveiling ceremony was held at the building on June 11, with operations expected to start next month or in August.
The facility is to be a base for the rehabilitation of people injured in the war and symbolizes a new era of medical cooperation between Taiwan and Ukraine.
Photo: Lin Ching-hua, Taipei Times
The Unbroken Ecosystem, a national rehabilitation center established with support from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and controlled by the Lviv City Government in western Ukraine, has evolved from a local healthcare system into the nation’s largest medical and rehabilitation center for those injured in the war.
The campus encompasses facilities including a comprehensive hospital, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation center, a surgical building and a prosthetics workshop.
Only about 5 percent of the patients are Lviv residents, with the rest from other regions across Ukraine.
To date, it has provided treatment for more than 940,000 people.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, a key driving force behind the Unbroken Ecosystem campus, led a delegation to Kaohsiung in late 2024 and established a sister-city relationship.
Sadovyi on multiple occasions expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s support and said he was deeply impressed by the nation’s healthcare system.
Moreover, the urban resilience that Lviv has developed during the war — including air-raid shelter networks, emergency response mechanisms and crisis management capacities — offers valuable lessons for Taiwan, he said.
Resilience is not a theory, “it must be experienced firsthand,” he said.
Sadovyi said that the seven-story Taiwan Friendship Building is one of his favorite on the campus.
It would have 51 beds, and integrate multiple medical specialty resources to offer physical therapy, rehabilitation and prosthetic customization services, he said.
Yaroslav Zelizko, deputy director of the Unbroken rehabilitation center, said that the campus needs more than just financial aid, it requires training, education, medical equipment and professional support from around the world to help elevate its healthcare capacity.
Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said that Taiwan building is a concrete symbol of the nation’s collective support for Ukraine.
Taipei and civil society have contributed to aid efforts since the war broke out, Huang said.
The efforts include seven humanitarian missions to Ukraine by medical teams from MacKay Memorial Hospital, as well as the involvement of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation and other charitable organizations, he said.
Taiwan-Ukraine bilateral cooperation can be further expanded, including through infrastructure projects, and cultivation of medical talent and smart healthcare, he said.
For example, Unbroken University could establish exchange mechanisms with Taiwanese teaching hospitals, while Taiwan could export its smart healthcare and medical technology, Huang said.
TAITRA would use platforms such as the Medical Taiwan exhibition to facilitate deeper bilateral cooperation, he said, adding that Ukraine can deepen its relationship with Taiwan through medical exchanges.
The new building marks an important starting point for the Taiwan-Ukraine medical partnership, he said.
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