In a meeting with the medical community of Lviv region, President Petro Poroshenko thanked the initiative group that elaborated the concept and the draft law on improving the availability and quality of medical care in rural areas, as well as the people's deputies who voted for this document. The Head of State stressed that he would sign the laws on medical reform and quality of rural medicine in the near future.

The President appealed to the audience asking for a responsible attitude towards rural medicine by the leaders of all levels. "For us to be one team," Petro Poroshenko added.

The Head of State noted that he had decided not to sign the law on rural medicine today, as it had been planned. “As it may be misinterpreted - that we sign rural medicine and don’t sign medical reform. Hence, two laws will be signed together shortly. I hope it will be the right message to the public,” the President stressed.

Petro Poroshenko emphasizes that it is necessary to explain how these changes are important and to give nobody an opportunity to slow down the process. "I do not want us to spend money, build paramedic and obstetric stations and stop at that. If there is no telemedicine, no professional doctors, the system will not work, there will be no equipment, and this "campaign" will end in a year - then I do not want to do this," the President noted.

He noted that he would do everything possible for Ukrainian doctors to feel like the elite of society.

According to him, the leaders of the European Union and the United States of America expressed readiness to be Ukraine's partners in the matter of the earliest possible introduction of rural medicine. "I think we should start this process as soon as possible. This is extremely important," he added.

The President also stressed that the funds stolen by representatives of the previous government from the Ukrainian people and returned to the State Budget of Ukraine due to the efforts of the Prosecutor General's Office should first of all be directed to the project of rural medicine. "This is not just the construction of new paramedic and obstetric stations. This is the approval of the minimum amount of equipment that must be in each village, the conditions for the presence of a doctor or a representative of the medical staff who can do all the necessary tests on this equipment," he said. In addition, in every paramedic and obstetric station there should be a car that can deliver the patient to the hospital, if necessary.

“We will significantly increase the level of medical services for 14-15 million Ukrainians living in rural areas,” the Head of State said.

The President also stresses that 4 billion UAH allocated to rural medicine this year will go for the next year and the budget for 2018 will provide 1 or 2 billion UAH more for these purposes.

He also noted the importance of making high-speed broadband Internet available to all citizens of Ukraine, especially rural residents, to ensure telemedicine service as soon as possible.