2020-01-31T17:31:00+02:00 Politics 2024-05-15T08:33:36+03:00

Ukrainian news

Ukrainian news

Public-private partnership can save blood service in Ukraine, - says Anatolii Chuhriiev

Public-private partnership can save blood service in Ukraine, - says Anatolii Chuhriiev

The optimization of the blood service bill No. 2429, proposed by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Public Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance Mykhailo Radutskyi and adopted by parliamentarians in the first reading, is urgently needed for Ukrainian patients and the field of donation in general. This was stated by the president of the Association of the blood service of Ukraine, the head doctor of the Zhytomyr regional blood center Anatolii Chuhriiev.

He recalled that the draft law proposes to grant private entities the right to prepare plasma for fractionation for the production of blood-derived products in Ukraine, to tighten the requirements for the export of blood components, in particular plasma, as raw materials for the production of blood-derived products, and to simplify the process of export of finished products -medicines (blood-derived product), as well as to speed up the process of blood donation reform aimed to bring it up to European standards according to the Association Agreement.

Anatolii Chuhriiev emphasized that in Ukrainian public institutions, no equipment meets the needs of patients and makes it impossible to get an infection after blood and plasma transfusion.

“Today, every blood center, even regional ones, gets only 45-50% of the finances it needs. The equipment available is rather outdated - at least 10-20 years old. The equipment cannot be used for so long; for example, the centrifuge, where the blood is centrifuged, gives from 3 to 4500 revolutions. Imagine that a scan containing two doses of blood suddenly flies out. It will pierce not only the lid of this centrifuge, but it can also kill a person. Therefore, the equipment cannot be used anymore, " says the expert.

According to him, laboratory research equipment also needs to be replaced.

“We need to test the blood using two methods, and we use only one. I believe that only in Sumy, Zaporizhia, Bila Tserkva, Lviv, there is a second type of testing, genetic, testing for DNA and RNA viruses. It is a mandatory testing method in other countries. The first method must involve determination of antibodies to viruses, and the second one, that must also be mandatory, is the determination of the viruses themselves, their DNA and RNA. Therefore, this testing must also be done," said Anatolii Chuhriiev.

He added that almost no blood center has any specialized vehicle for blood collection to go to regions, cities, and oblasts.

"We must buy the vehicles too. I can continue to list all problems where it is necessary to modernize equipment, repair it, replace heating systems, electrification, and everything else. The material base in many blood centers is very neglected. Accordingly, as the state provides 48-50% of current expenses, there is no money for capital expenses. The question is where we should get the funds from," said the head physician of the Zhytomyr Regional Blood Center.

According to the expert, a public-private partnership can be a way out of this situation.

"We need to attract funds from private individuals, enterprises that will be interested in it. However, any businessman is interested in returning the money invested - at least, and at the maximum - to make a profit. Therefore, on parity terms, we need to allow private entrepreneurs to collect plasma for fractionation, from which blood-derived products, that is, medicines, are made," said Anatolii Chuhriiev.

To recap, in December 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted, in the first reading, bill No. 2429 "On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding eliminating farfetched bureaucratic barriers and corruption-generating factors in the sphere of health care." 259 people's deputies voted for the bil.