Ukrainian patients with myocardial infarction to get 10,500 free stents – Ministry of Health

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Thousands of Ukrainian patients with myocardial infarction will get immediate stenting free of charge. This year, 10,500 stents were procured. It is about 3,500 more than in 2015. “We have purchased stents of a much better quality and saved millions of dollars, which we will be able to use later to purchase almost the same amount of stents additionally”, – Oleksandr Linchevskyi, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine, reported during a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. He added that following the government’s decision on redistribution of funds for the purchase of angiographic equipment, 13 hospitals will receive the stents.

“We have completed all procurement procedures and are now on the stage of supplying the stents,” Tetyana Korotchenko, representative of Crown Agents in Ukraine, said. She added that they saved almost half of the 100-million budget. 11 countries participated in the procurement competition. “All equipment that we supply complies with the highest of standards,” Ms. Korotchenko emphasized. She said that there are 100 stents at the customs office at the moment. They will be delivered to the hospitals as soon as they get certified. “This will not happen right away”, – Tetyana Korotchenko stressed. Most likely, stents will arrive at the hospitals in the middle of the next week.

“We create a network of institutions, and buy stents, while the new formula for redistribution of these stents makes coronarography and stenting available to every Ukrainian for free,” Oleksandr Linchevskyi said. “We have registered this order (on redistribution of funds for the purchase of angiographic equipment), because we believe that it will really help our citizens and reduce that terrible level of mortality from cardiovascular diseases that we have in the country,” – Serhiy Petukhov, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine on European integration, said.