UKRAINE: MEDICAL REFORM

Massive outbreaks of measles, the spread of tetanus, anthrax, tuberculosis, leptospirosis and other serious diseases, which Ukraine has forgotten over the years of Soviet power, were the result of the critical state of the health system in the country. This opinion was expressed in an interview with korr. TASS Ukrainian academician, candidate of medical Sciences, doctor of economic Sciences Anatoly Peshko.
“According to the Ministry of health of Ukraine, in most regions of the country recorded massive outbreaks of measles – more than eight thousand cases of children and adults, – said Peshko. – This is an epidemiological threshold and the situation can be called an epidemic.” However, according to the academician, measles is not the most terrible disease that spreads in Ukraine. “We began to have diseases that we forgot about during the Soviet era: anthrax, tuberculosis, leptospirosis and others. This is due to the fact that there is no proper work on the prevention of particularly dangerous infections and vaccination against polio, measles, pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus,” he explained.
Not enough vaccines
“Vaccination, in turn, is not carried out due to the fact that there is not enough of the vaccines themselves, – says Peshko. Ukraine doesn’t have enough means for its purchases, and some countries provide vaccines as humanitarian aid, – he told. – So, from Hungary, came to eight thousand doses. They singled them out not only because they understand the difficult situation, but also because they understand the number of our citizens coming to work for them and who are potential distributors of dangerous infection.”
Peshko noted that the aggravation of the situation with vaccination of the population occurred also in connection with the termination by Ukraine of purchases of medicines in Russia. “Our government for political reasons broke off relations with Russia, from which we purchased a lot of different vaccines and medicines, and today our people suffer from the lack of high – quality Russian-made drugs, which are often much better than both Ukrainian and Indian and European”, – he said.
Epidemic of lawlessness
“The situation with measles is a private manifestation of the attitude of the current government to health care, to the citizens of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian academician is convinced. – We have an epidemic not only of measles, we have an epidemic, first of all, lawlessness, corruption and fraud.”
He believes that this “chaos” can only be stopped by a change of power, and started a widely publicized reform of the health problem with the incidence does not change for the better. ” No medical reform in Ukraine does not pass, there was just a substitution of concepts: free medicine was replaced by a fee, that is, the budget of Ukraine on health care shifted to the shoulders of ordinary citizens of Ukraine”, – says Peshko.
In particular, he gave an example, the Ministry of health eliminated the Office of sanitary and epidemiological medicine, which was responsible for carrying out preventive work against the spread of particularly dangerous infections. “The program” Cheap medicines”, which is designed to provide access to medicines for people who are forced to take them for life, also does not work, ” the academician said. Thus,” it is impossible to consider the problem of measles in isolation from all the others, ” Peshko concluded.
Medical reform
The new law on medical reform in Ukraine came into force on January 30. One of the main points of the document is the division of medical services into two types: free and paid.
Now, in accordance with the law, Ukrainians will be provided with a state guaranteed package of a certain amount of medical services and medicines, which the state undertakes to pay at pre-established rates. The tariffs themselves will be approved by the government of Ukraine annually. However, the guaranteed package is planned to include only the most common cases of visits to the doctor, namely rescue or emergency care to the patient, primary medical care, palliative care. All other services will be paid.
In this case, the funds are supposed to be allocated not to hospitals, but to a specific patient. But, on average, per person, depending on age, according to available data, will account for only 210 hryvnia per year (about $ 8). According to the authors of the law, the innovations will allow more effective fight against corruption, stop funding empty hospitals, and doctors will be able to open a clinic and conduct their practice. According to the law, state financial guarantees will be implemented from 2018 to 2020.
The authorities also announced that they are preparing to create a National health service of Ukraine, which will dispose of public funds intended to cover the costs of insurance of citizens within the state guaranteed package of medical care. It is planned that by July the service will be created and will begin work. According to Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, the true results of the reform in Ukraine will be felt only in a few years.
But many are sounding the alarm today. In the Verkhovna Rada deputies from the” Opposition bloc ” openly call it a fraud, genocide of the Ukrainian people and a violation of the Constitution, as free medicine is guaranteed by the Basic law of the country.

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