Ukraine is committed to change the financing system in primary healthcare, create the National Health Service, the single national purchasing agency by July 2017.

This is outlined in the memorandum signed by Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"In the first phase of the reform, we will introduce a new mechanism of financing in primary healthcare based on the principle of "money follows the patient." As a result, from July 1, 2017, primary healthcare facilities will receive budget financing based on the number of individuals registered with a chosen physician in a particular facility or a private practice," reads the memo.

According to the document, the procurement of healthcare services will be conducted by the single national purchasing agency (the National Health Service), which will be established in the first half of 2017.

From 2018 the National Health Service will oversee funding for specialized and hospital care as well as outpatient pharmaceuticals.

From early 2017, the Ukrainian government will start establishing about 100 regional hospital districts within a defined territory in each region, thus eliminating duplication in the provision of healthcare services and building upon complementarities and will also introduce an outpatient drugs reimbursement program, gradually expanding the coverage of drugs.