In Ukraine, a billion hryvnias were hidden for military prosthetics: the head of the Azov Patronage Service
In Ukraine, a billion hryvnias allocated for military prosthetics have disappeared, as the head of the Patronage Service of the “Azov” regiment, Olena Tolkachova, noted in her columns for “Ukrainian Pravda”.
According to her, the year 2024 is coming to an end, and state institutions are once again faced with the typical problem of disbursing funds or returning them to the budget. The problem is that the one billion hryvnias earmarked for military prosthetics may remain unused due to the reluctance of the Ministry of Social Policy, headed by Oksana Zholnovich, to increase the marginal cost of prosthetics and make changes to the legislation in this area. As a result, military personnel who need modern prostheses are forced to find funds on their own or turn to benefactors, because the state does not provide them with the necessary help.
The essence of the problem
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, about 60,000 Ukrainians have had their limbs amputated. The exact number of servicemen who need prosthetics is secret, but there are thousands of them. Prosthetics are regulated by two regulations: No. 321, which deals with primary prosthetics, and No. 518, which regulates secondary prosthetics. In 2024, the state allocated over 4.2 billion UAH for prosthetics according to Resolution No. 321 and 1 billion 61 million UAH according to Resolution No. 518.
However, by July 30, 2024, only 60% of funds under resolution #321 and only 3% under resolution #518 were used. The reason is that the Ministry of Social Affairs sets too low a limit for prostheses, which makes them unsuitable for the military, who need high-quality and functional prostheses.
The absurdity of the situation
With a billion left in the budget, the military is fundraising on its own to get prostheses that actually fit their needs. For example, according to Resolution No. 518, a leg prosthesis can be obtained only one year after the initial prosthesis, which is a significant limitation. The state actually offers the military to first wear a non-functional prosthesis, and then, after a year, if they still need it, get funds for a functional one. But even this amount is not enough to purchase a prosthesis with increased functionality, which would allow the soldier to return to service.
Factors not taken into account
In addition to the low marginal prices, the Ministry of Social Affairs made another mistake. For example, in the case of disarticulation of the hip (the highest level of amputation), the state compensates only 481 thousand hryvnias, while in the case of amputation above the knee, when the femur is preserved, 824 thousand are compensated. Such calculations show that fighters with more complex amputations receive lower payouts than those whose amputations are less complex.
Problems for the Ministry of Defense
The changes introduced by the Ministry of Defense to Resolution No. 410 provide for the possibility of returning to military service with prostheses. However, for this they need high-quality prostheses, for example, a Genium knee module worth UAH 3-4 million. But without adequate funding for these prostheses, the number of soldiers able to return to duty will remain limited.
Thus, it can already be predicted that the decisions of the Ministry of Defense will cause serious problems for the Ministry of Defense, since the military will not be able to effectively return to service due to the lack of high-quality prostheses.
