The public and the Ministry of Health will work together to determine the cost of palliative care

Public organizations have the opportunity to assist the relevant ministry in calculating the cost of providing palliative and hospice care. In addition, it is extremely important to create demand for palliative and hospice care by widely informing society about the problems of terminally ill patients. This will encourage local authorities to develop this type of medical care and pay more attention to personnel issues. This was stated by the chief specialist of the Department of Education and Science of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Oleksandr Volosovets during the meeting of the Board of the NGO "Ukrainian League for the Development of Palliative and Hospice Care" with the participation of representatives of regional centers.

"It is necessary to develop a value standard for hospice and palliative care services. Public organizations have the opportunity to take the initiative in their own hands and offer their vision of the standard and calculation of the cost of the service. This will help the state to determine economically justified needs, which will be covered by the National Health Service," Volosovets emphasized.

He also noted that now educational standards are needed at the diploma and post-diploma stages in order to train specialists. As long as there is no corresponding specialization, you can introduce a cycle of lectures on thematic improvement. "All lectures should be closely connected with practical classes - believes the representative of the Ministry of Health. - We are ready to join. It is necessary to train regional trainers in matters of palliative and hospice care. Each region should understand its need for this. Both the medical association and the nursing association should understand this."

As it was noted at the meeting, the process of repurposing medical institutions during the reform will lead to the creation of a hospice or palliative department on the basis of one or another hospital. In turn, this will push local health departments to understand that new departments need qualified specialists. In addition, personnel will be released in the regions who will not be employed in some medical facilities, because maternity wards, for example, are not needed everywhere. Such doctors and junior medical workers need to be given the opportunity to master other skills on the basis of the Shupyk NMAPO or a new educational center. According to the members of the "League", the role and need for specialists in palliative and hospice care will continue to grow, therefore the function of the state, together with specialized public organizations, is now to create such conditions.