Number of non-surgical hospitalizations in Ukraine on the rise - dpty health minister
The number of hospitalizations not related to surgical intervention is rising in Ukraine, Deputy Health Minister Yevhen Honchar said.
"We're seeing that it's specifically non-surgical hospitalization cases that are increasing. Such hospitalizations already account for more than half of all cases and half of all bed-days," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Honchar, there were about 2.8 million non-surgical hospitalizations in 2021, compared with more than 4 million now. "These are hospitalizations without surgical procedures being performed - they could potentially involve people wounded or affected by the war, but we don't know that for certain, since there isn't full clarity on the accuracy of the coding that was used previously," he said.
The deputy minister also explained that there are situations where a patient is hospitalized because they cannot receive medical care safely and effectively on an outpatient basis.
"In that case, we're talking about hospitalization for social reasons, and in such cases it can be indicated that the hospitalization is based on social criteria," he said.