Private Medicine in Ukraine Accuses the Ministry of Health of Discrimination and Violation of Patients’ Rights

The Association of Private Medical Institutions of Ukraine has publicly stated that the Ministry of Health (MOH) is committing systemic discrimination. An open letter addressed to the country’s leadership was published on the association’s official website. It discusses violations of the Constitution of Ukraine and oppression that hinder the development of private medicine.

According to the Association, during martial law, when business support is declared as one of the key priorities, the Ministry of Health creates artificial barriers for private medical institutions. The agency does not allow such institutions to participate in the formation of a network of medical services, instead giving preference to state and municipal institutions. This, according to private doctors, prevents patients from having equal access to quality medical care.

The Association emphasizes that such actions create conditions for the financial priority of state institutions financed from the budget. At the same time, the capacity of private medicine remains underestimated, which harms competitiveness and hinders the implementation of modern models of medical care. Such a policy, they say, contributes to the spread of informal payments and corruption schemes in the industry.

Private medical institutions are particularly critical of the new regulations that limit their participation in the medical guarantee program. Frequent changes in rules and requirements make it difficult to conclude contracts with the National Health Service. According to industry representatives, this contradicts the declared course of medical reform and leads to the irrational use of public funds.

Separately, the violation of the rights of patients treated in private institutions is indicated. They are deprived of equal access to the purchase of important drugs, such as blood and its components, allowing their purchase only in case of surpluses in state blood centers. Also discriminatory are the programs of preferential housing loans, available only to medical workers of state institutions, and the reservation from mobilization, which applies only to employees of state and municipal hospitals.

The Association of Private Medical Institutions of Ukraine has sent official appeals to the President of Ukraine, the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. In their appeals, they call on the authorities to urgently respond to the problem and take measures to eliminate discrimination. Representatives of private medicine emphasize that such a policy scares away international investors, hinders the development of the industry and creates risks for the sustainability of the Ukrainian healthcare system.