Government officials acknowledged the problem of a low level of providing population with anaesthetic drugs
This was reported by the UNIAN news agency. “Providing to the needs of population is at the very lowest level, especially provision of anaesthetic drugs to the cancer patients, including narcotic and psychotropic substances”, Zynoviy Mytnyk said. He noted that the situation is particularly complicated in the rural areas and district towns.
Recognition of the problem of inadequate provision of anesthetic drugs to terminal cancer at the government level is, in particular, the result of advocacy and information activities of the Public Health Program of the International Renaissance Foundation within the direction of “palliative care” and “access to anesthesia”.
Over the last three years the Program actively attracted the attention of authorities and public to this problem. It supported a number of projects aimed at the issue of access to anaesthesia, prepared the advocacy strategy at different levels of access to quality and adequate anaesthesia for patients in terminal stages, conducts trainings for health workers to improve their knowledge and skills in provision of adequate anaesthesia. The Program also supported three projects on documenting the cases of patients who do not receive adequate anaesthesia and find themselves in situations where intolerable pain makes them think about suicide. One of these stories became the basis for a documentary video about the case of a 26-year-old guy who is dying of brain cancer and does not receive proper anaesthesia, while various commissions regularly visit his family, suspecting of drug abuse.
At present, the Program engaged to cooperation a human rights organization Human Rights Watch, which prepares a general report on the extremely strict system of control over medical flow of drugs and psychotropic substances in Ukraine and how such norms negatively affect the quality of life and help to terminal cancer patients who are not left any choice.
That is why the International Renaissance Foundation welcomes the fact of public acknowledgement of the low level of providing cancer patients with anaesthetic drugs by the Minister of Health Care of Ukraine Zynoviy Mytnyk and expresses sincere hope that this will become an important step on the way to improve the quality of assistance to severely ill patients.
