# Health
Should you treat yourself at home until your condition worsens? What the Ministry of Health’s new hospitalization rules are really hiding
“They won’t admit you to hospital unless you’re in intensive care!” — panic-stricken messages like this have recently flooded Ukrainian social media. And although this is somewhat exaggerated, there’s no smoke without fire. The Ministry of Health has indeed put forward a draft Standard for public consultation that could radically change the rules governing how Ukrainians are admitted to hospital beds. Why is the medical community sounding the alarm, what does the National Health Service’s financial monitoring have to do with it, and what are the implications for patients? Let’s take a closer look.
A heart beating once more: the story of six-year-old Mykolka and the great gift of life
Yesterday, 11 April, a very special patient left the Centre for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. Six-year-old Mykolka Zherebov, whose battle for life has lasted six years, has been officially discharged home following a successful heart transplant. This miracle was made possible thanks to the skill of the medical staff and the self-sacrifice of the family from the Odesa region
The Ministry of Health’s new hospital admission criteria: will patients have timely access to hospital care?
The Ministry of Health has put forward a draft order on the standard ‘Recommended criteria for the hospitalisation of patients for inpatient care’ for public consultation. The ministry states that the document is intended to introduce a uniform approach to hospitalisation, but some members of the medical community are already warning that, in its current form, it could restrict patients’ access to timely inpatient treatment.
When coffee kills: a new study on the timing of consumption
A morning cup of coffee isn’t just a habit, but a real chance at a long life. However, how we drink it throughout the day can either save our heart or leave it unprotected
A US start-up has announced research into ‘body-like structures’ for growing organs
The American start-up R3 Bio, which had been operating behind closed doors for some time, has announced its intention to create artificial biological structures for research and organ cultivation. The project has attracted the interest of investors whilst also provoking a strong reaction due to ethical concerns and claims regarding the potential future applications of such technologies.
In Ukraine, one in three young people smokes every day – smoking cigarettes reduces brain volume
A new study has revealed a link between the use of tobacco and cannabis and a reduced volume in certain areas of the brain. Against this backdrop, daily smoking rates remain high among young people in Ukraine, where e-cigarettes are particularly widespread.
Medicine with a ‘sales plan’: how Natalia Karamelyeva transformed a municipal medical centre into a private clinic
The Municipal Consultative and Diagnostic Centre in the Sviatoshynskyi district of Kyiv has found itself at the centre of several high-profile scandals: legal disputes with medical staff, complaints about fee-based services, concerns regarding access to dental care, and official responses and documents in which doctors are assigned not only medical but also financial targets.
New medicines have been added to the ‘Affordable Medicines’ scheme: the list
Patients now have a wider choice of medicines available for reimbursement. The updated list under the scheme now comprises 748 items.
Six towns and villages in the Kyiv region have been placed under quarantine following a case of rabies
A case of rabies has been reported in a community near the capital in the Kyiv region — quarantine restrictions have been imposed for 60 days across six settlements. The villages affected are Shchaslyve, Chubynske, Mala and Velyka Oleksandrivka, Bezuhlivka and Prolisky.
Sale of medicines at petrol stations and post offices: the main risks of the new initiative have been identified
The initiative to sell medicines outside pharmacies carries more risks than meets the eye.
A National Guard colonel tried to ‘buy’ a disability for $6,000 — he was caught red-handed
Law enforcement officers have arrested the head of one of the National Guard’s support units, who was attempting to obtain a fraudulent disability certificate. The offence carries a maximum sentence of eight years’ imprisonment.
From frontline Zaporizhzhia to Kyiv: a 500-kilometre struggle for life in an ambulance
A medical team from Médecins Sans Frontières has successfully evacuated two seriously injured civilians from Zaporizhzhia to the capital. A specialised medical truck was used for the transport, enabling complex medical procedures to be carried out whilst the vehicle was in motion
