Mobile pharmacies are expanding their geographical presence to cover more and more communities in Kyiv region
Kyiv • UNN
Mobile pharmacies for villages without stationary pharmacies have been launched in Myronivska community in Kyiv region. The project is being implemented by MHP-Community and Ukrvaktsyna, and 120 people from 10 villages used the services in the first three days.
In early December, mobile pharmacies were launched in the Myronivska community in Kyiv Oblast. With pharmacists and medicines, they traveled to remote villages where there are no stationary pharmacies. The initiative is being implemented by the MHP-Hromada Charitable Foundation and Ukrvaktsyna, a state-owned enterprise of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. In the mobile pharmacies, it will be possible to get a pharmacist's advice, buy medicines with or without a prescription, and order medicines that are not currently on sale, UNN reports.
"This year, we conducted research in the communities, where we interviewed local residents about their requests and needs. As a charitable foundation whose goal is to make communities where people want to live, we need to understand what the most pressing problems are. In the Myronivska community, sociologists found a significant demand for medical and pharmaceutical services. This, in turn, once again confirmed the statistics of the Ministry of Health for 2023: only 11% of Ukrainian villages have pharmacies, and more than 20 thousand are left without these institutions. That's why we launched a joint project that combined access to medicines and remote communities. This is how our mobile pharmacy appeared together with the State Enterprise "Ukravaktsyna" of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine," said Oleksandr Pakholyuk, Director of the MHP-Community Charitable Foundation.
According to Oleksandr Ponomaryov, Director of Ukrvaktsyna, State Enterprise of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the company's priority is to ensure the availability of medicines for Ukrainians. That is why the company supported the initiative and, together with the MHP-Community Foundation, expanded the geography of mobile pharmacy units to another community in Kyiv region.
On our part, we pay special attention to the Affordable Medicines program, which allows patients to receive the necessary medicines free of charge or with a small surcharge, ensuring an adequate level of medical care for everyone. We continue to work on expanding the geography of the mobile pharmacy project so that everyone can benefit from the "Affordable Medicines" program.
Local residents can use the "Affordable Medicines" service and purchase medicines for free or at a discount upon a prescription from a family doctor. To do this, you need to make an appointment with a family doctor and get a prescription for a particular drug.
During the first three days of visits, the mobile pharmacy was visited by almost 120 people from 10 villages of the Myronivka community. The most commonly purchased medicines were cardiovascular, sedatives, and anti-inflammatory.
I bought some blood pressure and cold medicine at the pharmacy, which will always come in handy at home. Because if I go to Myronivka, I have to pay for the bus, spend time, stand in line, and the day is gone. And here, the pharmacy and the medicines came almost directly to my doorstep. For us, old people, this is a great help
The mobile pharmacy in the Kyiv region is a pilot project of the MHP Community Foundation and the State Enterprise Ukrvaktsyna of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The organizers plan to expand the mobile pharmacy units to other parts of Ukraine, in particular, to Dnipropetrovs'k, Lviv, and Vinnytsia regions next year.
HELP
The MHP-Communities Charitable Foundation is a Ukrainian charitable foundation that started its operations in 2015. Its main mission is the comprehensive development of communities. The geography of its activities includes 12 regions of Ukraine: more than 700 towns and villages.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Foundation has been systematically supporting people in the war zone, Ukrainian defenders and rescuers, communities, hospitals and maternity homes, charitable institutions that care for orphans and the elderly, as well as people who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the war.
Ukrvaktsyna, State Enterprise of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine is a reliable partner in the field of medical logistics. The company has more than 30 years of experience in storage and transportation of a wide range of products: medicines, medical devices, refrigeration and power equipment, etc.
It operates 4 mobile pharmacies that travel to remote locations.
