The government has increased support for the social sector due to the emergency situation in the energy sector.
The government has introduced a series of operational decisions to ensure the smooth functioning of the social sector amid the energy emergency. This was announced following a meeting between Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and relevant ministers on 19 January.
According to the head of government, the key task remains the stability of the state and the protection of people despite power outages. The Ministry of Health, together with regional military administrations, ensures the autonomous operation of hospitals. All medical facilities have alternative power sources, primarily generators. The state is additionally directing reserves of generators and fuel to areas where the load is greatest. Control over the availability of medicines and prices has also been strengthened. According to the government, hospitals and pharmacies are provided with the necessary supplies of medicines.
Due to the situation in the energy sector, some educational institutions have switched to remote learning or temporarily suspended classes. In Kyiv, all schools, except for kindergartens, are on holiday until 1 February. For children whose parents cannot leave them at home, 284 special classrooms with backup power supplies, heating and lighting have been opened in the capital. Separately, the Ministry of Education and Science has been tasked with ensuring that teachers' salaries are maintained during the period of forced holidays.
The Ministry of Social Policy, together with the OVA, has been tasked with assessing the needs of people with limited mobility and single pensioners who may suffer from the cold in their homes, with a particular focus on Kyiv. In addition, social institutions, in particular centres for internally displaced persons, family-type children's homes and permanent residence facilities, are being checked for the availability of electricity, fuel for generators and hot meals.
To provide people with hot meals, the State Emergency Service is deploying mobile kitchens. There are already 41 such kitchens operating in Kyiv, with another 40 in reserve. The government is also working on a decision to provide additional funding from the state budget reserve fund to support vulnerable groups of the population.
Source and photo: Telegram of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko
Svyrydenko, State Emergency Service, Kyiv
