Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has stated that social assistance to citizens that badly need it should be improved.

"Speaking about the improvement of social services, we should do everything to prevent people from seeking assistance. Representatives of social services should come to people and offer their assistance in difficult situations," the head of state said at a meeting with the Economic Reform Committee in Kyiv on Thursday.

Yanukovych also noted that the number of social sphere employees was increased by more than 12,000 people in 2012. In connection with this, the president stressed the importance of creating incentives for drawing investments in the social sphere and implementation of private-public partnership projects in the sphere.

"We have to work on the issue," he said.