State and communities should ensure access to healthcare for IDPs - expert
Kyiv • UNN
The Brovary community has introduced a program of free medical examinations to detect cancer. The local authorities also provide IDPs and privileged categories of the population with free medicines and dental services.
In the context of war and a difficult economic situation, the state should support vulnerable groups of the population, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), as much as possible. This primarily concerns free medical programs. This was stated by Andriy Novak, Chairman of the Committee of Economists of Ukraine , in an exclusive commentary to UNN.
"First of all, the most difficult situation is now for IDPs who have lost their homes and jobs. In the new cities of Ukraine, the vast majority of them have not found a stable source of income and live on state aid, which is very small, so support, first of all, for IDPs in any area, including medical, is very important now and is one of the key elements for people to feel the care of the state even in difficult war conditions," Novak emphasized.
According to Novak, medical support is extremely relevant, as many IDPs are in a constant state of stress and fear due to military attacks. This leads to an increase in visits to doctors and increases the need for accessible medical services.
The expert also noted that not only the central government, but also local authorities should be actively involved in solving the problems of IDPs.
"There are national programs and the budget of the Ministry of Health, but the IDPs have settled in specific settlements. Local authorities should also support them socially, including in the medical field, to the extent of their budgetary capacity," Novak explained.
According to him, local authorities should take into account the number of IDPs and their condition to ensure the provision of necessary medical services on the ground.
"Local authorities, understanding how many people they have and their condition, should try to provide medical services on the spot," Novak said.
Recall
Earlier, UNN reported that in the Brovary community, local authorities introduced the program "Caring for Everyone" for 2024-2026, which aims to provide social protection and medical support to the most vulnerable segments of the population.
In , the program provides regular diagnostics for the early detection of cancer. In particular, the following examinations are available to community members:
- cervical cancer cytology screening (liquid Pap test) and HPV testing for women over 21 years of age;
- Breast and ovarian cancer screening for women aged 30 and older;
- screening for thyroid cancer by a doctor's referral;
- urological screening for the diagnosis of prostate cancer for men over 35 years of age.
Citizens of Ukraine who are registered and live in the Brovary community can undergo these examinations free of charge once a year.
In addition, the community has several other important medical programsaimed at supporting the health of the community, in particular, the privileged categories of the population. Ihor Kravtsov, director of the Brovary City Center for Primary Health Care, told UNN in an exclusive commentary that one of the key programs is to provide free medicines and medical supplies to privileged categories of the population, including internally displaced persons (IDPs).
In addition, the local authorities of Brovary allocate significant funds to support cancer patients living in the community. The hospital provides them with free chemotherapy drugs, which are expensive because all the components are foreign-made.
Also, privileged categories of the population of the Brovary territorial community can receive free dental services.
In an exclusive commentary to UNN, Brovary Mayor Ihor Sapozhko emphasized that such programs are important for the health and well-being of the community. He added that the city authorities will continue to support these initiatives despite the limited budget.
