Civil society representatives had conducted a monitoring of the full cycle of planning, delivery, availability and distribution of drugs for patients with autism and hepatitis, as well as questionnaire survey of patients/their parents and of the decision makers. Monitoring results were announced at ‘Crisis Media Center. Mykolaiv’ on December 10.
Activists of the nationwide Ukrainian charity “Initiative for Life” had joined the project “Supplying services of organization and conduction of procurements for the Ministry of Health of Ukraine”. Its main objective is to ensure the respect of patients’ right in Mykolaiv and Kherson region to get free medicines, procured for them for reasonable price, through monitoring the activities of the Healthcare Department of Mykolaiv and Kherson Regional State Administrations.
As of September 2019, Mykolaiv region had 347 children with autistic disorders on its list, which amounts to 0,2 per cent of children in the region. Hepatitis is one of the most widespread reasons of disability and death in the region. As of September 2019, hospitals had on their list 3192 adult patients with hepatitis С and 1477 with hepatitis B.
The monitoring focused on five hospitals in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. Activists surveyed more than 100 patients.
“Our findings say that the system of drugs distribution and delivery to the hospital works normally, there are no significant delays in medicines supply. According to medical workers, the main problems are the irregular supply of medicines for treating autism throughout the year, as well as significant delays and wrong order of their delivery. This has a negative impact on treatment. The quantity of medicines for treating autistic disorders is not significantly different from the demanded. However, there is lack of medicines for treating hepatitis B and C”, says project expert Inna Sirman.”
The monitoring has shown that quite often patients with autism refuse from free treatment. The refusals are usually caused by unwillingness to undergo any medical treatment, not by mistrust of the quality of free drugs offered to them. Contrarily, refusals from medicines for treating hepatitis В and С are explained by the side effects they may cause.
The event was held within the project “Contemporary regional media as a guarantee of quality in media competent and democratic Ukraine”, implemented by Ukraine Crisis Media Center with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, represented by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kyiv.
