Kyiv partners with Bloomberg on digital services

Ukraine’s capital is working with Bloomberg Philanthropies to accelerate the digitalisation of public services with a focus on mental health provision.

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, Bloomberg Philanthropies says it wants to help Kyiv strengthen service delivery and address residents’ mental health needs with US$4 million being provided for digital projects. Special psychological support is planned to be provided for children, educators, veterans, and their families.

According to a council survey, more than 80 percent of Kyiv’s adult residents have reported symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder, and a majority state that the war has had a significant impact on their mental wellbeing.

“With the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, we’ll have the technical capabilities to scale up one more important digital service for healthcare, including the implementation of new mental health programmes for those affected by the war,” Oleg Polovynko, Adviser to the Mayor on Digitalisation, told Cities Today. “This is an example of how digital thinking helps Kyivans overcome the challenges of war.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the city’s digital infrastructure has faced several challenges, including both cyberattacks and infrastructure damage. Hackers have targeted telecoms and utility providers that together with physical damage to digital infrastructure resulted in the disruption of connectivity and the normal functioning of digital services.

Kyiv Digital

“It is easy to underestimate the importance of communication between citizens and the municipality,” said Polovynko. “However, this kind of communication has been a challenge for us for two years now. During wartime the rights of the residents cannot be fully exercised, so our team provided the opportunity for citizens to vote inside the Kyiv Digital app, where they communicate and convey their needs directly to the authorities in order to change Kyiv for the better.”

Within 24 hours of the invasion, the city’s Kyiv Digital app – which was initially designed to buy transport tickets and pay for parking and utility bills – was adapted into a lifesaving tool that warns residents of possible air attacks; maps the locations of bomb shelters, medical supplies and working petrol stations; and shares information on how to support the army.

Each user is also able to select areas of charity, share their time and skills, and participate in various volunteer initiatives aimed at reconstruction, assisting the elderly, blood donation, animal care, and other socially significant activities. And a group of Ukrainian IT specialists created a chatbot that helps people find information about the war and how to help the country.

“Thanks to data-driven solutions we understand the needs of the Kyiv citizen, adjust our development and urbanisation plans and make governance more inclusive and transparent for all,” he added. “We use technology to save lives and to repurpose everyday technology to meet wartime needs, such as modifying apps for emergency use. This is our first priority.”

The new mental health services are expected to launch in December 2024 with consultancy Public Digital supporting Bloomberg Philanthropies to bring expertise in UX development and IT delivery, rapid prototyping, data and analytics, product and human-centred design, systems thinking, and project management and implementation.

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