KYIV. Feb 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The opening of the Bone Marrow Transplant Center at the Ukrainian National Cancer Institute (UNCI) will allow performing more than 100 allogeneic transplants annually, according to Acting Director of UNCI Oleksandr Yatsyna.

"One of the main projects for 2021 is the resumption of construction of a new building of UNCI, which will house the Center for Oncohematology and Bone Marrow Transplant. Funds for the project are provided in the budget for 2021. Thanks to its implementation, we plan to significantly increase the number of bone marrow transplants to over 100 allogeneic transplants and almost the same number of autotransplants every year," he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.

Yatsyna also said that UNCI has opened the Center for Cancer Psychology.

"We recently opened the Center for Cancer Psychology, which is part of the program of the concept of cancer service 2030. We hope to develop a model of cancer psychology at our institution and implement it in 30 oncology clinics. The center focuses on rehabilitation, support, treatment and psychological support for patients, their relatives and the psychological rehabilitation of doctors," he said.

"Construction of the molecular genetic laboratory is scheduled to begin on February 15. We also plan to complete the Radiation Therapy Center and install a linear accelerator. We hope that construction will begin late April and we will be able to work with the equipment by the end of the year," he added.

In turn, Deputy UNCI Director for Organizational and Methodological Work Andriy Lukashenko said that the Clinical Trials Center has already been opened on the basis of UNCI.

"Unfortunately, Ukraine is a country non-designated for clinical trials for large pharmaceutical companies. For example, compared to Poland, our country conducts 10-20 times fewer clinical trials. Treatment of patients in clinical trials is a unique opportunity to receive free therapy for patients, to improve the physical infrastructure of a medical institution. Now we have organized the Clinical Trials Center and are trying to increase the quota for such trials," he said.

At the same time, Deputy Minister of Health Svitlana Shatalova said that the Ministry of Health is actively working on the development of oncology.

"In 2020, the Ministry developed a draft National Strategy for Cancer Control until 2030, which will determine the vector of development of the cancer care system in Ukraine. The Ministry of Health also included chemotherapy and radiology treatment packages in the Medical Guarantee Program. In 2020, UAH 3.193 billion was paid to healthcare institutions for medical services provided," she said.

According to the deputy minister, from April 1, 2021, the services will also be provided in separate packages, and tariffs will be increased, in particular, diagnosis and chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer will be distributed to adults (UAH 25,000 per patient) and children (UAH 91,000). The tariff for the treatment of oncohematological diseases will be UAH 45,000 and UAH 164,000, and for radiation therapy –UAH 43,000 and UAH 52,000.