Today, during the round table\u00a0\u2014 \u00abEmergency Exit out of\u00a0the Medical Crisis in\u00a0Ukraine\u00bb, nearly 6\u00a0billion UAH were \u00abfound\u00bb in\u00a0the state budget for treating patients with diseases. The Minister of\u00a0Health, MPs, patients and representatives of\u00a0different state ministries and departments took part in\u00a0this event.<\/p>\n
\u00abThere will be\u00a0an\u00a0average\u00a060% rise in\u00a0prices on\u00a0drugs, due to\u00a0the collapse of\u00a0the state currency and introduction of\u00a0VAT on\u00a0drugs,\u00a0\u2014 <\/em>states Dmytro Sherembey, the Chairman of\u00a0Charitable Foundation \u00abPatients of\u00a0Ukraine\u00bb. \u2014\u00a0If\u00a0to\u00a0take into account the fact that the Ministry of\u00a0Heath\u2019 budget was approved while the exchange rate for UAH was 8\u00a0UAH per dollar, 60% of\u00a0people that would have received treatment will die. People with hepatitis will die, for whom last year we\u00a0had successfully advocated the state-funded treatment. Hemodialysis recipients will also die, as\u00a0they are not able to\u00a0live a\u00a0single week without this vital procedure. Millions of\u00a0Ukrainians will die this year, if\u00a0today we\u00a0will not come out with an\u00a0idea of\u00a0an\u00a0emergency exit from this catastrophic situation”.<\/em><\/p>\n On\u00a0March\u00a027, 2014, by\u00a0the means of\u00a0adopting the Law on\u00a0Amendments to\u00a0the 2014 State Budget, practically every position of\u00a0state budget\u2019s programs was reduced in\u00a0order to\u00a0cover the shortfall of\u00a0the state budget. However, experts point out that some of\u00a0the budget programs were not cut in\u00a0the way that it\u00a0could and should be\u00a0done.<\/p>\n The participants of\u00a0the round table consider that the way out of\u00a0the present medical catastrophic situation, could be\u00a0the reduction in\u00a0financing unprotected budget expenses on\u00a0some programs. It\u00a0is\u00a0possible to\u00a0cut 3,5 billion UAH in\u00a0the general state fund. Special fund economy might amount to\u00a02,5 billion cut. Such actions could fully cover the state shortage for drugs procurement, which now equals to\u00a04,2 billion UAH.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For example, it\u00a0was proposed to\u00a0reduce the Ministry\u2019s of\u00a0Revenues and Charges unprotected expenses from 4,6 billion to\u00a01\u00a0billion. This will economize the expenditures for equipment, inventory, payments for services (except municipal expenses), capital expenditures, etc.<\/p>\n “Human life and health is\u00a0the primary value in\u00a0our country, therefore\u00a0I, as\u00a0the Minister of\u00a0Health, will put every effort towards insuring that the redistribution of\u00a0costs on\u00a0treatment is\u00a0made. I\u00a0will do\u00a0my\u00a0best to\u00a0prevent the budget deficit in\u00a0medicine,\u00a0\u2014 <\/em>said Oleh Musii at\u00a0the roundtable. \u2014\u00a0At\u00a0the Cabinet of\u00a0Ministers meeting, I\u00a0will propose the changes to\u00a0the state budget, appeared to\u00a0be\u00a0now”.<\/em><\/p>\n According to\u00a0the NGOs\u2019 information, there is\u00a0a\u00a04,2 billion UAH shortfall for procurement of\u00a0drugs for seriously ill patients. It\u00a0is\u00a0worth mentioning, that there was an\u00a0initiative according to\u00a0which funds for seriously ill patient\u2019s treatment were to\u00a0be\u00a0redistributed from the raise in\u00a0excise taxes on\u00a0tobacco and alcohol products. In\u00a0fact, government had raised the excise taxes, however they have not transferred these money to\u00a0finance the drugs procurement. This caused huge resentment in\u00a0patients\u2019 community, as\u00a0everyday 1607 people die in\u00a0Ukraine that could be\u00a0saved.<\/p>\n “It is\u00a0quite bearable sum for Ukrainian budget,\u00a0\u2014 <\/em>states Valeriy Dubil, MP, Deputy Head of\u00a0Parliamentary Budget Committee. \u2014\u00a0Even in\u00a0the mode of\u00a0taught economy, there will be\u00a0a\u00a0possibility to\u00a0redistribute funds for treatment of\u00a0seriously ill Ukrainians from other budget programs. We\u00a0will propose the Government to\u00a0reduce the unprotected expenditures of\u00a0the general state fund, especially those, which were reduced not in\u00a0the amount they could be\u00a0reduced, that were conducted according to\u00a0the Law dated 27\u00a0March. We\u00a0had studied the budget thoroughly, and had found 65\u00a0state budget programs, in\u00a0terms of\u00a0which we\u00a0propose to\u00a0reduce state expenses. This will enable\u00a0us to\u00a0reallocate 6\u00a0billion UAH, in\u00a0state budget, that will totally cover the deficit for treating seriously ill Ukrainians. I\u00a0would like to\u00a0underline, that due to\u00a0the very taught internal and external political situation, we\u00a0have not considered the reduction of\u00a0expenses from the state defense establishment, national army, etc.”<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 said the MP.<\/p>\n “Such redistribution has to\u00a0happen now, as\u00a0the state tenders for drug procurement will start very soon. If\u00a0the problem of\u00a0deficit for drug procurement does not get solved in\u00a0the nearest future, the termination of\u00a0treatment courses will take place at\u00a0the end of\u00a0the year, which not only means death for people living with AIDS, but it\u00a0also means dramatic spread of\u00a0HIV”<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 said Volodymyr Zhovtyak, Chairman of\u00a0the Coordination Council of\u00a0All-Ukraininan Network of\u00a0People Living with HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The round table had resulted in\u00a0joint signed letter of\u00a0patients and MPs to\u00a0the Cabinet of\u00a0Ministers of\u00a0Ukraine. In\u00a0this letter they had urged Prime-Minster of\u00a0Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, to\u00a0review, as\u00a0soon as\u00a0possible, their suggestions for covering the state budget hortfall for 2014 drug procurement and to\u00a0express the Government\u2019s point of\u00a0view on\u00a0the ways to\u00a0solve this problem.<\/p>\n Contact person:<\/strong><\/p>\n Oleksandra Ustinova
\n<\/i> 067 550 15 70
\n<\/i> Oleksandra.u@ucab.org.ua<\/a><\/p>\n