On October 4, Olena Yeshchenko, Chairman of the Association of Private Medical Institutions of Ukraine,CEO and co-founder of the network of private clinics Smart Medical Center and Smart klinika,was the speaker of the event “Medical Guarantee Program-2025"

October 4 Olena Yeshchenko, Chairman of the Association of Private Medical Institutions of Ukraine, General Director and co-founder of the network of private clinics Smart Medical Center and Smart klinika, was speaker of the event “Medical Guarantee Program - 2025".

In his report Elena highlighted the problem of participation of private clinics in the Medical Guarantee Program. She explained that the majority of private clinics do not participate in the Program withinternational tariffs, difficulties with administrative requirements andsignificant burden on clinics. At the same time, Elena stressed that patients are increasingly turning to private medical institutions and this increases the importance of participation of such institutions in state programs. The key reasons for the conclusion by private NGOs of contracts with NSU includethe request of patients for this, additional sources of funding, the ability to increase access to medical services, as well as the attraction of new patients.

However, profitability remains low due to insufficiently high tariffs, which forces clinics to operate at almost zero margins.

Among the problems that prevent private medicine from participating in the Health Guarantee Program, the speaker noted:

• low tariffs,

• change of tariffs and payment terms in case of budget deficit,

• additional administrative burden and the need to meet the somewhat inflated requirements of the NSU.

The speaker also noted that cooperation with the NSU requires maintaining a large amount of documentation and reporting, and it is very difficult to predict the change in requirements.

Helena proposed a number of solutions to improve the situation, including:

• increase of tariffs — economically fair calculations of the cost of services;
• introduction of the possibility of co-payment;
• the introduction of a clear and transparent system of limits at the level of prescribing;
• enrollment of all studies for medicinal purposes;
• clear payment system for future periods;
• creation of a separate laboratory package;
• unification and standardization of research;
• the possibility of constant dialogue between the market regulator and its operators.

Thank you to the organizers for inviting us to the event and bringing this important topic up for a comprehensive discussion.