Determination of the main needs of palliative patients and ways of their provision in the health care system of Ukraine

Abstract

The organization of medical care for palliative patients of Ukraine, as well as for other categories of patients, should take into account the data on the number of such patients among adults and children, as well as the characteristics of diseases that are included in the list of palliative diseases depending on their stage and the severity of the patients' condition. In Ukraine, the list of palliative diagnoses is smaller than the list recommended by the World Health Organization and adopted in high-income countries. But even those categories of palliative patients, which are included in the list, receive the necessary help in an insufficient amount. This applies both to the therapy of the underlying palliative disease and to effective analgesia. The reform of the health care system of Ukraine, activated since the beginning of the revolutionary events and the beginning of the occupation of Ukrainian territories in 2014, also extends to the provision of Palliative and Hospice Care (PHC). The PHC financing system at the expense of the Medical Guarantee Program has been significantly changed. A greater number of medical institutions are gradually joining the provision of PHC. Therefore, the discussion on clarifying the list of needs of palliative patients is relevant. This short scientific notice is published for the purpose of discussing the list of stated needs. Emphasis is also placed on the connection between the strategy of the reform of the health care system of Ukraine and the possibilities of effective satisfaction of these needs. Keywords: palliative and hospice care, PНC, the need for medical assistance, health care financing.