Less than half of family doctors who were abroad for more than six months had a replacement in Ukraine – NHSU
Less than half of family doctors who were abroad for more than half a year in the last 365 days had a replacement for their patients in Ukraine, Natalia Husak, head of the National Health Service of Ukraine, has said.
"In fact, out of 587 doctors who did not pass verification of their stay in Ukraine or have some signs of absence, 206, according to the electronic health system, had a replacement doctor. There are doctors who, although they were abroad, in accordance with the terms of the contract with the NHSU, their manager provided a replacement doctor," she said on the air of the Doctor Bulavinova YouTuble channel on Thursday.
Husak also said that for 193 doctors who were abroad, "there are no signs that their patients had a replacement doctor," and the NHSU has contacted health service providers for explanations.
"We still have, it seems, 20 primary care physicians who, while abroad, in some strange way entered electronic medical records into the electronic health care system, and they provided medical services not telemedical ones, but actual. Here for us there will be an additional area of rapid monitoring of such providers, and here the story is not just about applying a zero coefficient to the payment of declarations of such a doctor, but, probably, something a little more," she said.
Husak noted that the monthly payments to such doctors, if we look at the declarations and payments, are "some UAH 946,000 per month."
If a family doctor returns to Ukraine and starts working, he/she will be able to receive payment for declarations, because this verification is now carried out on an ongoing basis.
At the same time, Husak emphasized the importance of verifying patients.