Healthcare reform in Ukraine: Ministry of Health will correct mistakes made by previous government

The Minister of Health of Ukraine Maksym Stepaniv said that the order of President Volodymyr Zelensky will be implemented and significant changes in the healthcare reform will be carried out in Ukraine.

“The healthcare reform in its original form means the dismissal of about 50,000 health workers and the closure of 332 hospitals due to lack of funding. In fact, this does not bode well for either doctors or patients. We will not allow this injustice to happen! This does not mean that we are going to curtail reform. It must be implemented, but substantially changed, taking into account Ukrainian realities and correcting the mistakes made during its planning. Already this year, all medical institutions should receive no less funding than they received previously. It is necessary to increase the salaries of doctors and nurses of the second and third level – this is more than 400,000 health workers,” Stepaniv said.

According to the minister, the modified medical reform will include the improvement of the quality and accessibility of medical services. At the same time, the Ministry of Health urgently prepares amendments to some legislative acts, aimed to provide all the specialized and highly specialized healthcare institutions with funding from the state budget in the amount no less than in 2019.

According to the head of the department, the National Health Service of Ukraine will remain the main buyer. Moreover, from June 1, the following packages will be additionally financed under the State Program of Medical Guarantees: primary health care; emergency medical care; acute myocardial infarction; acute cerebral stroke in stationary conditions; 4 packages for the treatment of COVID-19;

“In order to increase the salaries of 435,000 health workers, it is necessary to allocate an additional UAH 11 billion, and this will be done from July 1, 2020 at the expense of the state budget of Ukraine,” Stepaniv said.

Ukraine’s Stepaniv: We need to reform healthcare system, not destruct it.