It took place in Kharkiv forum on the topic “Prospects of the development of the system of providing for the needs of people with amputations”, in which prosthetists, representatives of various ministries, institutions and public organizations took part. A social research report analyzing the provision of services to military and civilian amputees was presented during the event.
Olena Rofe-Beketova, director of the charity fund “Kharkiv with you” and head of the “Prosthetics as part of life” project, emphasized the importance of focusing on the needs of people with amputations. She emphasized that this applies to both informational support, including access to information on the sequence of actions from injury to rehabilitation, and legal assistance in choosing a prosthesis manufacturer, as well as medical, psychological, social and household needs.
The forum consisted of speeches and brainstorming sessions, where participants discussed the current state and necessary changes in the support system for people with amputations. Participants focused on issues such as patient routing, quality of rehabilitation, lack of coordination between medical professionals and prosthetic manufacturers, and lack of public support.
Vadym Svyridenko, the President’s Commissioner for Rehabilitation of Combatants, drew attention to complex cases of injuries. He noted that when it comes to the loss of a leg below the knee, rehabilitation is relatively easy, but in cases of more complex amputations, especially when combined with vision loss, the process is much more difficult. Svyridenko also emphasized the need to review the financing of such complex cases, because rehabilitation requires a continuous process and should be financed daily, not limited to several cycles.
Antonina Saleyeva, director of the Ukrainian Scientific and Clinical Center for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation, noted that the limit on the number of prosthetic repairs should be lifted for military personnel who continue to serve after prosthetics. She pointed out that the military is subjected to a significant load, so they should have unlimited access to repairs and replacement of prosthetic elements.
Tetyana Gavrish, a lawyer and expert at the “Healthy Solutions” foundation, added that for many people with amputations, the aid system remains unclear and bureaucratic. She also pointed to the moral and psychological trials that people go through, in particular, during the process of obtaining status in the MSEK.
The result of the forum was a resolution with proposals for changes in the system of providing for the needs of people with amputations. As mentioned earlier, in 2023 the state prosthetics program was financed by more than UAH 3 billion for almost 11 thousand people, and in 2024 the funding was increased by 40%. In the first half of this year, almost 8,000 people received prostheses.
