Patients of Ukraine presented their rating of Presidential election candidates based on the attention dedicated to healthcare issues in the candidates’ election platforms.

“We have conducted a very thorough analysis of all platforms by our candidates and focused on 5 leaders of the Presidential race” – Dmytro Sherembey, Patients of Ukraine (UCAB) Head, says. “It was very challenging to identify the key criteria to be applied while setting up the rating: almost all candidates limited themselves with just a couple of populist-like sentences on healthcare in their platforms. Given the situation we have, substantial analysis of platforms on healthcare issues was impossible. Therefore, patients have ranked Presidential election candidates within a symbolical patients’ rating based on the number of words on healthcare used in their platforms.

Oleh Lyashko was ranked first in Top-3 with 26 words on healthcare in his platform. He was followed by Yuliya Tymoshenko and Petro Poroshenko with 12 words and 8 words on this topic, respectively. Two Presidential election candidates’ platforms (Serhiy Tyhypko and Anatoliy Hrytsenko) do not include any mention about healthcare system reform in Ukraine whatsoever; that is the reason why they were placed on the bottom of the ranking list. However, even leaders of this “medical rating” mention healthcare in a populist manner and these mentions are not substantive. E.g.: “For accessibility of qualified healthcare for all citizens” (Petro Poroshenko); “Fundamental reform of healthcare sphere (Oleh Lyashko) and “To ensure guaranteed package of primary and urgent medical aid funded from the government’s budget” (Yu. Tymoshenko).

According to the rating, all 5 leaders of Presidential race, particularly, Petro Poroshenko, Serhiy Tyhypko, Yuliya Tymoshenko, Anatoliy Hrytsenko and Oleh Lyashko, received scythes with their last names on them sent by patients to each candidate’s HQ symbolizing that this hand tool will become a Presidential insignia if current candidates’ platforms remain as they are now; so, a future President will scythe the nation. All Presidential election candidates totally ignored the Constitutional right of every Ukrainian citizen to health whereas it is this sphere that remains one of the most painful ones for every Ukrainian today: it is the lack of medicines that causes 1,607 deaths in Ukraine every day.

Scythes to the Presidential election candidates were sent accompanied with letters from civil society. The candidates are called to devise a detailed plan to highlight the key strategy areas on healthcare system reform till May 25, 2014. On their side, patients’ community leaders in Ukraine – “Patients of Ukraine” charitable foundation in partnership with “Resuscitation Reform Package” initiative noted that they are ready to cooperate with Presidential election candidates HQs in order to design a respective program under the condition that the Presidential race winner would implement it.

«So far as Presidential election candidates are busy with their pre-election campaigns, it is civil society that acts as a driver of reforms in our country, – Hanna Hopko, Resuscitation Reform Package coordinator, says. – We expect that the new President will be open to dialogue and will use the experience and expertise accumulated by civil society to change the country. It is for this reason that even before a winner is determined we draw attention of Presidential race leaders to healthcare sphere as one of the most important ones in Ukraine. We hope that they will introduce changes into their platforms re-setting priorities in favor of human lives”.

Patients of Ukraine and civil society activists set the deadline for response from Presidential election candidates at May, 25. On their side, civil society guarantees full support for the future President in healthcare system reform.

Contact:

Natalya Krasnenkova:
067 465 54 26
krasnenkova@prhouse.com.ua

Oleksandra Ustinova:
067 550 15 70
Oleksandra.u@ucab.org.ua