On April 1, the final stage of healthcare reform started in Ukraine, causing heated TV debates. Some health workers, fearing layoffs, have even taken part in demonstrations. Now, according to the reform, about 20% of the least effective hospitals will receive less funding, while 60% are set to receive much more. Since the government has failed to plan proper reorganization for the 20%, it might now decide to put a stop to reform altogether and essentially return to Soviet practices. Will it happen? Nobody knows, as the Ministers of Health are changing hands rapidly under a new “turbo mode” of policymaking, and general chaos is the norm.
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Bohdan Ben: Ukraine’s health reform hangs by a thread
An ambulance car passes a church at the Kyiv Oleksandrivska Clinical Hospital on April 1, 2020.
