October 29, 2024, 14:43

2025: Multidisciplinary rehab teams to lead in prescribing rehabilitation aids and prostheses for patients 

Starting in 2025, a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team could become the leading authority for prescribing rehabilitation aids and prosthetics to patients, a shift that signals a new direction in patient care. 

Olena Kulchytska, an advisor to the Minister of Social Policy, shared this development at a press conference hosted by Media Center Ukraine.

“We are optimistic that amendments to the healthcare rehabilitation law will take full effect on January 1, 2025, making the multidisciplinary rehabilitation team the primary body for determining the prescription of aids and prostheses,” Kulchytska stated. “For simpler aids like canes and crutches, however, a single, designated specialist, appointed by the Ministry of Health and given appropriate authorization, can provide prescriptions.”

Kulchytska highlighted that these appointments would be made within the electronic healthcare system, enabling more effective accounting and helping forecast future budget needs. 

“We’ve spent the last two years developing this process to make it functional within the electronic healthcare system, allowing us to streamline accounting and better forecast demand for upcoming budget cycles. Currently, our budget is set retroactively, based on the number of applicants from the previous year who are eligible for re-supply or repairs. At this time, we lack comprehensive statistics from the healthcare sector, as responsibilities for prescribing are spread across military medical commissions, rehabilitation teams, and medical-social expert commissions (MSECs). Unfortunately, this delay often affects patients adversely—by the time they undergo [MSEC – Ed.] review, which is frequently after examination and rehabilitation, it’s often too late for them to access essential rehabilitation aids they should have received much earlier,” she explained.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news