PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Disaster and Emergency Medicine
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1691361
This article is part of the Research TopicModern Out-of-Hospital Emergency Medical Services: Organization, Function, Challenges, and Future DirectionsView all articles
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Primary Health Care (PHC) linkage: A Potential Solution for Effective Emergency Response in rural areas: the case of Ukraine
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
- 2Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
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Ukraine's emergency medical system faces significant challenges, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas, where gaps in coordination, infrastructure, and access to care persist. Despite investments and reforms, the fragmentation between Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Primary Health Care (PHC) has limited the effectiveness of emergency response, especially in rural areas. This viewpoint proposes the integration of EMS and PHC as a strategic solution to enhance response capacity, reduce delays, and improve health outcomes in rural populations. Drawing on the successful model from the Asturias region in Spain, an example of PHC network for WHO and where PHC is embedded in emergency response pathways, the article outlines a feasible roadmap for Ukraine that may me followed by other countries to improve emergency response in rural areas. Key elements include the establishment of joint protocols, integrated communication systems, standardized referral pathways, and targeted personnel training. Following European Union regulations, the adoption of a single emergency number (112) is also discussed as a critical step toward improved interagency coordination. By aligning PHC infrastructure with EMS operations, Ukraine can strengthen its emergency care system and ensure equitable access to timely medical interventions across its territory.
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services, Primary Health Care ( PHC), Emergency response, Health management, Health Policy
Received: 23 Aug 2025; Accepted: 15 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Castro-Delgado, Pantha Bhandari and Subedi Acharya. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rafael Castro-Delgado, castrorafael@uniovi.es
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