Ukraine has an electronic system that ensures the formation and management of a queue for free endoprosthetics. Its introduction was an important step towards greater transparency, efficiency and accessibility of medical care for patients with serious diseases or injuries who need partial or total hip, knee, shoulder or elbow joint replacement. Ministry of Health provided explanation of how the electronic queue works.
This system automates the entire process, from patient registration and queue administration to planning and execution of operations. It guarantees the right of patients to free endoprosthetics, provides a transparent registration process and allows keeping records of all performed interventions. To get into the electronic queue, the patient turns to his family doctor, who gives a referral to an orthopedist.
The orthopedist, having determined the need for surgery, enters data and a medical opinion into the system. All documents are confirmed by the doctor’s electronic signature, after which the data are automatically entered into the register. Priority is determined by medical indications, urgency and date of submission of the application.
When the patient’s turn is ready, the doctor receives a corresponding message in the system, after which he contacts the patient or sends a notification if contact cannot be made. After the operation, the doctor updates the patient’s status, and all changes are recorded in the system log, where they are stored indefinitely.
The system was created with the participation of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine on the Diya.Engine platform with the support of the Swiss-Ukrainian EGAP Program, which is implemented by the Eastern Europe Foundation. Technical maintenance is provided by the state enterprise “Electronic Health”. The system operates in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine dated December 26, 2024 No. 2180. Access to it for medical workers who perform endoprosthetics is available via a special link.
Patients can receive both urgent and planned operations free of charge within the scope of the medical guarantee program “Surgical operations for adults and children in hospital conditions”. Implants are centrally purchased with state funds and distributed among hospitals. The list of medical institutions that provide free endoprosthetics is posted on the website of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
In 2025, it is planned to deliver more than 23,000 endoprostheses to medical institutions, purchased by the state enterprise “Medical Procurement of Ukraine” on the order of the Ministry of Health. Among them are endoprostheses of knee and hip joints, including cement and revision, as well as implants and instruments for surgical correction of complex spinal deformities.
