The Chervonohrad Primary Healthcare Centre is one of the 10 medical establishments in Ukraine, that received the largest amount of funds from the National Health Service under the new system of financing of healthcare institutions. This means that this hospital is one of the leaders of the healthcare reform, being currently implemented. More than 60% of the Centre's doctors have already signed declarations with the maximum number of patients.

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There is a wide ramp at the very entrance to the hospital, where one can even ride a bike. Inside, Wi-fi is being used, and the registrars do not just give out medical cards, but also help to conclude a declaration with a doctor and give coupons with visit time. The first floor fully serves adults, while the second focuses on children’s treatment. Each doctor’s office has everything necessary to passh examination, make diagnosis and get a prescription for treatment. The hospital has an Internet access and its own Facebook page where one can ask all questions and get a doctor's working schedule. The page publishes news from the Ministry of Health and information about healthy lifestyle. It is administered by one of the doctors of the institution, who performs additional work as a volunteer.

“We plan to make repairs and equip the waiting corners with plasma TVs, so that the smallest visitors forget they are in a medical institution. We want them to stop being afraid of hospitals and white coats,” says Anna Yarmola, head of the Centre.

Doctors’ salaries

“We have chosen a model of salary payments, according to which we will reward doctors depending on the number of their signed declarations and early detection of serious diseases," says Anna Yarmola.

It has become possible to encourage doctors financially, since due to the number of signed declarations the institution received almost twice more funds.

What do doctors think about changes?

Family doctor Larysa Bondarchuk is one of those, who have concluded the maximum number of agreements with patients. She says that she has managed to sign declarations with 2000 patients due to reviews and her long-term work in the city.

She says that the largest number of her patients are 30-50 year old people. Older people are often accompanied by grandchildren, who help them to register, because not all of them have computers and are able to read sms.

What is patients’ opinion?

Patients of the Centre evaluate innovations differently – they are still getting used to them. On the one hand, it's easier to visit all doctors in one place, but not everyone is happy that highly specialised doctors are now located in a separate building.

The only concern is that all the highly specialised doctors were transferred to an adult hospital and sometimes you need to run between the buildings.

How has the medical institution managed to reform so quickly?

Anna Yarmola, head of the Centre, calls the local authorities the driving force of the healthcare reform, since it is due to the local government that they succeeded in procuring the necessary equipment, repairing the premises and installing the ramp.

“They provided us with UAH 700 thousand only for the purchase of the necessary equipment. Due to this support, we purchased an electrocardiograph, an otoscope, an otolaryngoscope, a pulse oximeter and a glucose meter for each doctor. Now we plan to equip the offices with cupboards, tables and scales – these are small things, but they also require a lot of money.”

Mayor of Chervonohrad Andriy Zalivskyi compares the healthcare reform with surfing – it is necessary to react to promising projects in a timely manner.

“Now we have received almost three million UAH. This will allow us to raise salaries, purchase equipment. If it happens every month, this reform will be super-successful,” says Andriy Zalivskyi.

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