Representatives of government institutions, healthcare facilities, and the expert community discussed the results of the “Barometer” study, the challenges of healthcare reform, digitalization, and the preparation of Ukraine’s healthcare system for European standards.

Opening the discussion, Nataliia Tulinova, CEO of ZDOROVI, noted that the Barometer research has been conducted by the organization since 2022. Its goal is to track how patient expectations and healthcare managers’ assessments are evolving, how the healthcare system functions under wartime conditions, and which solutions can help improve the accessibility and quality of medical care.

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A Reform Not Everyone Understands

One of the main topics of discussion was trust in healthcare reform. The survey results revealed a paradoxical situation: Ukrainians are giving increasingly positive assessments of the quality of healthcare services, yet support for the reform itself remains lower.

Commenting on these findings, Iryna Kondratova, a representative of the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU), noted that the survey does not provide a direct answer as to what exactly people are dissatisfied with. At the same time, years of experience working with patients point to an important conclusion: negative perceptions are often driven not by the medical care itself, but by communication.

According to her, patients evaluate not a single service, but their entire experience of interacting with the healthcare system. Even high-quality treatment can be overshadowed by a single negative interaction — at the reception desk, while scheduling an appointment, or when communicating with healthcare staff.

Iryna Kondratova cited an example from behavioral economics, for which psychologist Daniel Kahneman was awarded the Nobel Prize. According to his research, people do not remember an entire experience; rather, they remember specific emotional moments. That is why a single negative episode often overshadows dozens of positive ones.

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A separate issue raised during the discussion was the lack of public awareness of the reform and patients’ rights within the healthcare system.

Oleksandr Ryabets, Deputy Head of the National Health Service of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitalization, noted that many patients still do not know which services are guaranteed by the state and how to protect their rights.

“If the amounts are small, people often just pay without asking questions. As a result, the reform remains invisible to them,” he noted.

Dmytro Dubenko, Deputy Medical Director of Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 18, drew attention to another problem — a lack of understanding of the very essence of the reform.

“The most difficult question today is: What is the reform? We talk a lot about its results, but we do not explain its mechanisms or how it works clearly enough,” he noted.

According to Mr. Dubenko, the problem concerns not only patients but also healthcare professionals themselves. Some medical teams do not fully understand the requirements and rationale behind the changes, which gives rise to additional myths and mistrust.

During the discussion, participants also criticized populist claims about “completely free healthcare.” Experts emphasized that patients need honest and transparent information about which services are guaranteed by the state and which may require additional payments. The lack of such explanations often becomes a source of conflict and fuels criticism of the reform.

Another key topic was the quality of healthcare facility management. Iryna Kondratova noted that Ukrainian medical universities still lack systematic training in patient communication. At the same time, these skills are having an increasingly significant impact on the quality of services and the level of trust in the healthcare system.

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Digitalization: A Major Success and a Major Challenge at the Same Time

The second part of the discussion was devoted to the digital transformation of the healthcare system.

Vasyl Piven, Head of the Analytical Department at the National Health Service of Ukraine, emphasized that the primary task today is not to create new digital tools, but to effectively utilize those that already exist.

According to him, the electronic healthcare system has accumulated over 5.4 billion medical records. This data enables the tracking of a patient’s entire journey, the analysis of healthcare facility performance, and informed management decisions based on real statistics.

At the same time, participants in the discussion noted that many facilities still view data entry as a formal requirement rather than a tool for management decisions and improving service quality.

“We need to teach not how to fill out the system, but why we do it and how to process and use analytical data for decision-making,” emphasized Vasyl Piven.

The issue of paper medical records sparked a separate discussion. Despite the development of digital services, many patients still use paper records, and some facilities have yet to fully utilize the potential of digital solutions.

The participants emphasized that full-scale digitalization requires not only technical solutions but also the development of digital literacy among healthcare workers, the protection of personal data, and changes in management approaches at the institutional level.

Dmytro Chernysh, Director of the Department of Electronic Health Care System Development at the National Health Service of Ukraine, emphasized that digitalization and healthcare financing reform have been interrelated processes from the outset.

According to him, there are currently about 400,000 users in the system, and the success of the digital transformation depends on the shared responsibility of the state, facility executives, and healthcare workers.

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European Integration Is Already Underway

The third part of the discussion was devoted to the adaptation of the Ukrainian healthcare system to European Union standards.

Yulia Sokol, a representative of the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, emphasized that a significant portion of the changes related to European integration are already being implemented in practice.

Among the examples she cited were the development of a screening system in accordance with European recommendations, the expansion of early disease detection programs, and the strengthening of preventive approaches.

Separately, participants noted the development of neonatal screening programs, which already allow for the detection of more than two dozen genetic diseases at an early stage.

The discussion also highlighted that healthcare professionals’ interest in European clinical protocols and standards is steadily growing, and their implementation is becoming one of the practical manifestations of the European integration of Ukrainian medicine.

At the same time, the speakers noted that changing the regulatory framework alone is not sufficient for successful integration. It is necessary to develop the managerial competencies of facility directors, invest in the training of medical personnel, and introduce modern approaches to quality control in healthcare.

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Key Conclusion

Summarizing the discussion, participants agreed that the Ukrainian healthcare system continues to transform even amid full-scale war. One of the main achievements of recent years has been the system’s ability to maintain stability and continue its development.

At the same time, the next stage of reform requires not only new solutions and technologies but also improved communication. Patients need to know more about their rights and available options, healthcare workers need to understand the rationale behind the changes, and facility managers need to use data and digital tools to manage service quality.

The project is implemented with the support of the Askold and Dir Fund as a part of the Strong Civil Society of Ukraine – a Driver Towards Reforms and Democracy Project, implemented by ISAR Ednannia and funded by Norway and Sweden.