New rules for managing medical institutions will come into effect in Ukraine in 2027. Supervisory boards will be created in hospitals, which will exercise strategic and financial control over their activities. The decision to begin the formation of such bodies was adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers, reported by the Ministry of Health.
According to the new requirements, starting in 2027, cluster hospitals providing care in at least 20 areas, as well as supracluster hospitals with at least 29 areas, must create supervisory boards to conclude a contract under the Medical Guarantees Program. It is this program that provides Ukrainians with free medical care. Starting in 2028, this requirement will become mandatory for all institutions providing specialized medical care.
The majority of members of the supervisory boards will be representatives of the public sector – from organizations working in the field of healthcare, anti-corruption, and veterans’ policy. The councils will be responsible for the strategic development and financial control of hospitals, will participate in resolving personnel issues regarding the head, in particular, they will submit proposals for appointment, dismissal, determination of remuneration and responsibility.
They will also organize internal audits and, if necessary, initiate external audits, form integrity and ethics policies, monitor compliance with legislation, the rights of patients and employees, and coordinate key internal documents – in particular, regarding bonuses, the use of charitable funds, the circulation of medicines and the consideration of complaints. In addition, the councils will inform the owner of the institution about the identified shortcomings and propose ways to eliminate them. Their decisions will be mandatory for implementation in the medical institution.
Supervisory councils will be established by decision of the hospital owner. Depending on the status of the institution, they will consist of five to fifteen people. Members of the councils can be specialists with higher education not lower than bachelor’s level and at least five years of work experience in the fields of healthcare, anti-corruption, economics, banking, finance, management or law. Candidates must be fluent in the state language (with the exception of foreigners), have no criminal record and are citizens of Russia, Belarus or other countries against which sanctions have been applied.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health also reported an increase in funding for emergency medical care, but some doctors criticized the statements about salaries starting from 35 thousand hryvnias, calling them manipulative.
