The draft national budget for 2018 announces the increase in expenses on healthcare by around UAH 11 billion, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.

"In 2016, expenses on healthcare totaled UAH 70 billion, in 2017 – UAH 101.3 billion and we plan UAH 112.5 billion for 2018. We increase the financing of healthcare by UAH 11 billion," he said at a government meeting on Friday.

He said that UAH 13.2 billion will be sent to finance primary healthcare and around UAH 52 billion to finance secondary and tertiary healthcare.

Some UAH 1 billion will be sent to the medicine cost reimbursement program (Affordable Medicines).

"We can afford this program. We are able to do this and the program will work in the future. Its financing will be increased," he said.

Groysman said that UAH 150 million will be allocated for the acquisition of angiographic equipment for the development of a network of reperfusion centers in 2018.

"In 2017, we are creating 13 angiographic centers. In 2018, we can also create 13 angiographic centers. These are thousands and thousands of lives that will be saved," he said.

Groysman said that the government will keep spending on the purchase of medicines using the national budget funds - UAH 6 billion.

It is planned to send UAH 1 billion to support rural medicine under an initiative of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

At the same time, Groysman said that the increase in funding "is linked to the reforms".