The Ombudsman’s Office has conducted an inspection of the Kyiv Emergency Care Hospital following complaints from servicemembers and veterans, media investigations, and signals from non-governmental organizations regarding the conditions in the hospital, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has said.
"We personally walked through the entire ‘patient route’ and conducted an anonymous survey of patients, visitors, and staff. The visit clearly showed that doctors on the ground are doing everything possible, but the medical system itself works with absurd errors due to a lack of funding," Lubinets wrote on his Telegram channel.
Thus, he emphasized that over 80% of the surveyed defenders rate the work of doctors as ‘excellent’ and ‘good,’ 92% are fully provided with medicines, there is access to psychological assistance, and no hints of extortion of funds were recorded among those surveyed.
"However, the overall picture is spoiled by everyday realities. The most complaints are caused by the quality of food from the catering company – a third of patients are categorically dissatisfied with it. In addition, most wards, operating rooms, and corridors have been waiting for capital repairs for too long," Lubinets said.
He named funding from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) as the main problem.
"The current state tariffs are completely disconnected from reality: UAH 600 is allocated for a CT scan with contrast, while the actual cost of the procedure exceeds this amount by about 2.5 times. That means the hospital operates at a loss on every procedure. The situation with the long-term treatment of severe injuries, which can last for months, is even more critical. The NHSU covers this complex process as one single case with a symbolic additional payment of 10% for prolonged hospitalization. The institution keeps afloat thanks to the city program for financing medicines, but here the trap of registration kicks in – the program is designed exclusively for residents of Kyiv, although the hospital accepts wounded heroes from all corners of Ukraine," the ombudsman said.
He stressed that a change of management would not solve the systemic miscalculations.
"Based on the results of this monitoring, we are preparing a detailed report with tough recommendations for the government, the relevant ministry, and local authorities. The rescue and rehabilitation of our defenders cannot depend on territorial registration or bureaucratic formulas. I am keeping the situation under personal control!" he said.
