The World Bank (WB) announced on Tuesday that it is providing Ukraine with an additional $610 million to allow the country to “respond to the most urgent needs” in the health sector, AFP reports.

This support, which comes in the form of two loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), part of the World Bank Group, is guaranteed to the UK for up to $500 million.

The new funding is intended to cover the Ukrainian government’s spending on health care, family support, civil servant salaries and public services.

This new line of credit brings to $18 billion of funds mobilized by the WB for Ukraine, in the form of loans or grants, since the beginning of the conflict, of which $15 billion has already been disbursed.

On Thursday, the institution provided $2 billion, this time to support the Ukrainian private sector and finance preparations for reconstruction.

Part of the $610 million will go towards funding the Health Sector Strengthening and Early Recovery (HEAL Ukraine) Project to help support emergency services and meet the growing demand for mental health services.

According to World Bank estimates, the equivalent of 5.5 percent of Ukraine’s medical facilities have been destroyed or damaged since the beginning of the war.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the country has received significant financial and military support from the international community, led by the United States.

Earlier last week, donor countries at a meeting in Paris agreed to give the country more than 1 billion euros to support the population during the winter while the infrastructure is destroyed by Russian attacks.

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