EU accession negotiations - Ukraine continues to reform its healthcare system in line with European standards

In early November this year, the European Commission recommended that the European Council start negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU and emphasized the progress that our country has made in European integration reforms despite russia’s full-scale war.

“This is an important event for us, Ukrainians! We expect that at the summit in December, the leaders of the EU member states will make a political decision to start these negotiations,” emphasized Deputy Minister of Health Maryna Slobodnichenko.

On the same day, the European Commission published a report on the implementation of the recommendations given to Ukraine for accession to the European Union, in which it noted some progress in healthcare reforms, in particular:

• Ukraine adopted the Law on the Public Health System.
• An electronic healthcare system has been implemented and Ukrainians are already using electronic prescriptions in pharmacies.
• Ukraine has ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and has made significant progress in its implementation.
• Epidemiological surveillance systems in Ukraine are based on key EU principles.
• Ukraine has launched a transplantation development program.
• The national registry of cancer patients from all regions of Ukraine is harmonized with international registries.

Work in each of these areas is ongoing.

“We continue to work to ensure that our medical system meets EU standards. We want high-quality Ukrainian medicines to be used in Germany, France, the Netherlands... We want Ukrainians to have access to the best medical care here in Ukraine,” the Deputy Minister said.

Next year, as part of its European integration reforms, Ukraine will also work to improve healthcare information systems, approve a national action plan to overcome threats of biological, chemical, environmental and unknown origin, and approve and implement a national action plan on antibiotic resistance.

It should be recalled that earlier, the Ministry of Healthcare announced that it was engaging international experts to create an independent body for registration and control of the medicines market.