The Government approved the decision to send the subvention for the development of the healthcare system in rural areas to the regions. The size of the subvention is UAH 1 billion. The funds will be allocated for primary healthcare infrastructure development, including the purchase of necessary medical equipment, informed Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, at the meeting of the Government, commenting on the adoption of the relevant resolution.

“Our key task is to revitalise the quality of medical service provision to the population in rural areas. MinRegion, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, has developed a methodology for the formation of networks and has developed recommendations on primary healthcare infrastructure in rural areas. The draft capable network of primary healthcare facilities, comprising 3992 outpatient clinics and primary healthcare centres, has already been approved by the regions. In addition to infrastructure, outpatient clinics should be provided with the necessary modern equipment, which can carry out not only data analysis, but also record and transmit it using telemedicine. After all, we need not only another quality of premises, but, first of all, the high-quality provision of primary healthcare in rural areas,” said Hennadii Zubko.

The subvention is allocated among oblasts in proportion to the number of the rural population living in the corresponding region. The subvention also envisages 10% co-financing of projects from local budgets.

In general, the subvention for healthcare development in rural areas amounts to UAH 5 billion. In December 2017, the Government approved a decision to allocate UAH 4 billion for the development of the primary healthcare infrastructure in rural areas.

It is worth mentioning that the Law on the development of primary healthcare in rural areas was approved by the Parliament at the initiative of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. The implementation of the Law 2206 consists in not only introducing modern approaches to premises and medical equipment, but first of all – the latest methods, telemedicine, which can record data, transfer it to secondary level and receive very quick consultation from specialised doctors on narrow-focused issues.