59,000 Ukrainians have reached out to Ministry of Social Policy for prosthetic help in six months
In six months, almost 59,000 civilians and military personnel affected by the war applied to the Ministry of Social Policy for rehabilitation aid.
The Minister of Social Policy, Oksana Zholnovych, reported this at a briefing dedicated to the prosthetics process.
What is the problem?
As Minister of Health Viktor Liashko said at the briefing, for 2021, 27 thousand people, both military and civilians, who lost one or more limbs were registered in the electronic health care system in 2022 – more than 32 thousand people, for the first half of 2023 – 15,360 people. According to the Minister of Health, the number of amputations is much higher.
What is the solution?
"From January to July, 58,852 people applied for rehabilitation aids, of which 20,737 people received prosthetics, and 11,126 people have already received prostheses for the total amount of 2 billion 790 million UAH for this year," Zholnovych said.
How does it work?
She added that, in particular, 201 proposals for prosthetics with a total cost of UAH 51 million were submitted to the Ministry of Social Policy in July. Currently, these individuals are in the process of prosthetics.
As the Ministry of Social Policy notes, service members, law enforcement officers, veterans, war-affected civilians, persons with disabilities who did not become disabled due to combat operations, children with disabilities, and children with musculoskeletal disorders have the right to free prosthetics.
Soldiers are provided with two types of prostheses within the state program:
- mechanical,
- electric.
Documents must be submitted to receive free prosthetics under the state program. This can be done in the hospital through a social worker, in the nearest Administrative Services Centers or local social protection body, or through the electronic office of a person with a disability.
After submitting the documents, a person with a disability will receive a referral that allows choosing any prosthetic company in Ukraine.
The list of prosthetic enterprises is available on the Ministry of Social Policy website. In total, about fifty prosthetic enterprises work in Ukraine.
After applying to the enterprise, the prosthesis is manufactured and handed over to a person with a disability within 45 days.
For reference:
As noted by the Ministry of Social Policy, as of today, the maximum compensation for the cost of a prosthesis is UAH 2 million. For each type of prosthesis, the state determines the marginal cost; the type of prosthesis is determined by the military medical commission or the prosthetic enterprise.
"For military personnel, the amount of compensation is three times higher than for civilians. As of today, the maximum compensation for the cost of a prosthesis is UAH 2 million. Trust me, this takes into account both the needs and the functionality of any prosthesis for the arms and legs," said Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine.
She emphasized that all prosthetics for wounded soldiers are currently free. The injured person can choose the company that will manufacture the prosthesis at his own discretion from the 40 presented on the Ukrainian market.
"Now we have 40 companies on the market that deal exclusively with prosthetics and orthotics, and more than a hundred that provide people with other aids – wheelchairs, canes, crutches," Zholnovych noted.
At the same time, it's crucial to maintain prosthetics devices, which requires extra funding. The government will provide money for these expenses through legislation.
"Many people who received prosthetics abroad do not know what to do with them next. But we solved this issue thanks to regulatory changes. Now you can register your prosthesis with the Social Protection Fund for Persons with Disabilities, and the state will allocate funds for its maintenance. You should just choose a company that will do it," the minister added.
It should be noted that the Center for complex endoprosthetic, osseointegration, and bionics has started working in Ukraine.
Rubryka also reported that the Techiia Foundation provided two soldiers with Esper Bionics bionic arms.
In addition, it was reported that BetterMe and Esper for Ukraine joined forces for the prosthetics of a military man.
