This public appeal formed at the All-Ukrainian Patient Forum on July 10, 2020 announces the position of 46 patients’ organizations of Ukraine.

The patient community is concerned about the possible cancellation of the medical reform due to recognition of the Law of Ukraine On State Financial Guarantees of Medical Care for Population unconstitutional. This law is fundamental to the functioning of health care reform in Ukraine. Therefore, it is called the ‘Law on Medical Reform’ among the patients’ community.

The Law on Medical Reform was adopted on October 19, 2017. From the moment on, for the first time since independence, Ukrainian citizens have received financial guarantees of quality and affordable treatment.

Thanks to the changes introduced by the Law, the patients for the first time experienced positive results of the health care reform. 30 million Ukrainians have signed declaration with a family doctor. According to the Health Index survey for 2019, 73% of them are satisfied with their family doctor.

The Law on Medical Reform allows a patient to:

• choose a family doctor, GP or pediatrician whom a patient trusts, regardless of the patient’s place of registration;
• not to pay bribes, but to receive medical services paid from the taxes collected by the state;
• stay alive and go without credits when there is no money to pay sky-high prices for surgery or medications, because free treatment is guaranteed by the state;
• have an opportunity to choose any medical specialist in order to receive the best medical service irrespective of patient’s residence;
• receive treatment in good medical settings and with normal attitude to a patient;
• have access to quality and free vaccines according to the vaccination schedule;
• receive medicines under the reimbursement program “Free Medicines” free of charge or with small surcharge, which is used by over 1,5 million of patients;
• receive free screening when a disease may be detected early or prevented.

This is only part of what patients have experienced with implementation of the health care reform. Its second phase began on April 1, 2020.

If health care reform is canceled, Ukraine will once again receive the Soviet-era medicine, when one of the patient’s greatest fears was to fall ill or be hospitalized. The recognition of the Law on Medical Reform as unconstitutional means that the patients lose their family doctor, a reliable leader in the medical system. During the COVID-19 pandemic the family doctor is the first person we call on any suspicion. The patient loses the right to freely choose the doctor and the hospital and begins a long exhausting way of treatment, a way where a patient needs a lot of strength, health and money without guarantee of quality services. Otherwise a person dies.

The Law on Medical Reform is a big step forward for the Ukrainian medical system and for the state as a whole. It will improve the health and life expectancy of Ukrainian patients and break our country away from the ‘third world’. This is a completely new approach, where the goal of every change is the health and life of the patient. With this law patients are no longer afraid of hospitals. Thanks to the law on medical reform, patients know that they or their loved ones, if fall ill, have the guaranteed right to choose a doctor, be diagnosed and receive treatment.

The Law on Medical Reform is our opportunity for quality treatment and life. We want to live. We want all Ukrainian citizens to have a proper quality of life like all citizens of the democracies where life and health are primary values.

It is important to note that the Law on Medical Reform is not the only legal act in the medical sphere. In addition, there is legislation on other budget programs, such as centralized pharmaceutical procurement, departmental medical system and others.

We ask the Constitutional Court of Ukraine to thoroughly consider constitutionality of the Law of Ukraine On State Financial Guarantees of Medical Care and take into account its social significance.

This public appeal is supported by:

1. Charitable Organization “100%LIFE”
2. Charitable Foundation “Patients of Ukraine”
3. Charitable Foundation “Tabletochki”
4. Charitable Organization “LEGALIFE-UKRAINE”
5. NGO “ALLIANCE GLOBAL”
6. Charitable Organization “Light of Hope”
7. Charitable Organization ‘TB PEOPLE OF UKRAINE’
8. Charitable Organization “VOLNa”
9. Charitable Organization “100%LIFE, Chernivtsi”
10. Charitable Organization “ZAPORUKA”
11. NGO “Association of People with Torsion Dystonia”
12. Charitable Foundation of Patients ‘DROP OF BLOOD’
13. NGO ‘FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT’
14. NGO “Association of People with Parkinson Disease in Ukraine”
15. NGO “Ukrainian Association of Parents with Preterm Babies EARLY BIRDS”
16. Charitable Organization “Chernigiv NETWORK”
17. NGO “Dia-Zen”
18. NGO “Athena. Women against Cancer”
19. NGO “All-Ukrainian Association of Crystal People”
20. Charitable Foundation “Open Palms”
21. NGO “Association of Parents with Inflammatory Intestine Disease FULL LIFE”
22. Charitable Foundation “Special Opportunities”
23. Charitable Organization “ALL-UKRAINIAN NETWORK OF PEOLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS, Lviv City”
24. NGO “Association of Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Orphan Disease, Rare Disease in Ukraine”
25. Charitable Foundation “Delilah’s Sisters”
26. NGO “Wilson-Konovalov Disease”
27. All-Ukrainian NGO “Joy of Movement “
28. Charitable Organization “100%LIFE. Kropivnitsky”
29. Khmelnitsky Regional Office “All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH”
30. Mykolaiv Charitable Organization “All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH”
31. Charitable Organization “100%LIFE. Cherkassy”
32. Vinnitsa Regional Office “All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH”
33. Charitable Organization “Zaporizhzhia Network”
34. Charitable Organization “All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH in Kryvyi Rig”
35. Charitable Organization “PINK STRIP OF UKRAINE”
36. NGO “Ukrainian Association of People with Multiple Sclerosis”
37. NGO “Medicines Control”
38. Charitable Organization “100%LIFE. Rivne”
39. Charitable Organization “100%LIFE. Odessa”
40. Charitable Organization “Zakarpatie Network of PLW”
41. Charitable Organization “100%LIFE. Kyiv Region”
42. Charitable Organization “100%LIFE. Kharkiv”
43. Charitable Organization “Lviv Network of PLWH”
44. NGO “Mental Health”
45. National Platform “Forum of Health Facilities Transformation”
46. NGO “Rare Immune Diseases”