Law on health care reform comes into force

The law of Ukraine on state financial guarantees of medical services to the population came into force on Tuesday, January 30, the Ukrainian Health Ministry has reported.

"The law of Ukraine on state financial guarantees of medical services to the population, No. 2168-VIII of October 19, 2017, entered into force on Tuesday, January 30, 2011. The preparatory stage of the introduction of medical reform has been in place since last year. Now there are legitimate reasons to make a series of decisions so as to timely implement the previously announced plan for reforming the primary health care sector," the report says.

The ministry said that the first steps are the creation of the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) - a national insurer, which will conclude contracts with health care institutions and purchase public health care services from them. It is planned to hold a competition for the post of NHSU head and two of his deputies. The NHSU will begin its work in July.

The process of the transformation of medical institutions into municipal non-profit enterprises has also begun. In this status, they will be able to conclude contracts with the National Health Service of Ukraine and receive direct funding for the services provided from the state budget.

In order to enter the reform, an institution of primary health care should choose a medical information system (MIS) and connect to the electronic health system, which is currently operating in trial mode, and bring material and technical support of the institution into line with a technical equipment table.

Ukrainians will start choosing primary care physicians (family doctors, therapists, or pediatricians) and sign declarations with them from April 2018. 

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