UKRAINIAN HOSPITALS ASK FOR PAYMENT FOR FREE MEDICAL CARE

Ukrainian hospitals ask for payment for free medical care. These charitable donations in Ukrainian hospitals are compulsory. Despite the improvement in health care financing, patients keep being asked to give money as we witnessed at Kiev maternity hospital number one.

Dateline: Kiev, Ukraine, 14/06/2017

Source: TTV television https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQC2vM455Fc_B2LjiZ-LZ2A/feed

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All patients at the Kiev maternity hospital number one except to have to pay a charitable donation. It is usually a fixed amount of 1000 hryvnias (34 Euros). They are even given a receipt from the hospital, with the option to deposit it directly in the hospitals bank account. Doctors however assure there are no compulsory fixed donations requested, they claim that this donation is made on a voluntary basis however all the patients know the rates.

Money being counted
Ext hospital
Interview expecting mothers
Interview hospital staff
INTV docteur
Ext Paliament INT parliament
Itv PM Parents with new born

Voluntary compulsory donations for free healthcare. Hospitals used to survive only with these donations, when there was lack of public financing of the healthcare. But the situation is changing. The financing is getting better, but the voluntary donations remain compulsory.

ITW: Kyiv maternity hospital â„–1./ Expectant mothers being interview

We pay only for medicines -  How much? – A thousand hryvnias.

If you are from Kyiv, then it’s one thousand, if out of Kyiv – I don’t know for sure.

A thousand hryvnias.

Voice over

When we asked about the price for childbirth, everyone told us the same price. But the accounting department assured us there were no fixed sum required it was a voluntary donation.

ITW: The account department

“Where can we get information about the sums of the voluntary contributions? - People pay as much as they want. That’s all!”

Voice over

Last year, these donations amounted to 20% of the overall budget of the hospital in Ukrainian.  Despite a significant increase in public allocations in the last two years, neither patients nor doctors are not going to refuse voluntary donations and sweeteners.

ITW: Nataliya Honcharuk, chief doctor of the Kyiv maternity hospital â„–1

 Is there a fixed price? – No, there are no fixed prices.

Voice over

It seems that healthcare reform, which ought to have been functioning already, should be able to fight this situation. But there are huge obstacles. The draft laws still haven’t passed to the second reading. If it won’t happen till the MPs’ summer holidays, the reform will slow down for a while. Because pre-election campaign is approaching.

ITW: Kostyantyn Yarynich, Ukrainian MP, member of the Committee on Healthcare at the Verkhovna Rada

Some politicians have ambitions to freeze this process today, If the authorities haven’t done this [reform], tomorrow they can be accused of not implementing it [reform].

Voice over

While MPs advocate their own political ambitions, Ukrainian families continue to pay for the happiness of becoming parents.