Seminar “The Role of Local Authorities and Self-government Bodies in Current Health Care System Reform”

The rate of reform uptake in healthcare depends not only on the central, but also, and even more so, on the local authorities, their political will and willingness to introduce changes, their desire to work together in one direction and solve problems, as well as to abandon certain traditions and habits and review local systems and spheres of influence. Within the framework of existing administrative system in Ukraine, the organization of public healthcare services provision is the function of local authorities (oblast, rayon and village level). As such, there has to be established cooperation between the local self-government bodies in order to improve the efficiency of healthcare system resources usage, the quality of hospital care, and, through that, to assure effective fulfillment by local self-government of the delegated state function of organizing public healthcare.
      The Project experts consider that the leaders of local authorities are not sufficiently aware of European experience and possible positive results of its implementation and that is why they are sometimes afraid to introduce up-to-date models on their territories. Increasing the knowledge of local authorities’ and self-government bodies’ representatives regarding healthcare management would help create positive attitude and more effective implementation of healthcare reform.

   On the 1st of April 2009, in Zhytomyr, on the premises of Zhytomyr nurse institute, the Project has held a seminar regarding the topic “The Role of Local Authorities and Self-government Bodies in Current Health Care System Reform”.

    This event became the first of three planned seminars for the representatives of rayon administrations and rayon councils of Zhytomyr oblast. The representatives of Zhytomyr oblast state administration, Zhytomyr oblast council, Heads of rayon councils and rayon administrations,Heads of rayon councils, Heads of rayon healthcare departments and rayon finance-economic provision departments took part in the seminar. The discussion touched upon the topics of the influence of local authorities on the course of healthcare reform, the role of oblast healthcare departments in the process of healthcare sector reformation. Besides, the Chief Doctors of Zolochiv and Blyznyuky central rayon hospitals of Kharkiv oblast, Mr. Oleksiy Gavva and Ms. Larysa Polikova, shared their experience of healthcare reform implementation and cooperation with the local authorities in their rayons.

Presentations, demonstrated during the seminar:

• Modern Methods of Healthcare Management and a Possible Model of Sector Reform (V. Ananiev)
• The Role of Local State Administrations and Self-government Bodies in Ensuring Public Healthcare System Reforms in Ukraine (V. Rudiy)
• Review of Healthcare Sector Reforms in Ukraine: Challenges, Prospective and First Results (V. Rudiy)
• Medical Facilities Reform Experience of Zolochiv Rayon in Kharkiv Oblast (О. Gavva)
• Medical Facilities Reform Experience of Blyznyuky Rayon  in Kharkiv Oblast (L. Polikova)
• Hospital Network Reform: Legal Opportunities and Barriers (А. Nechai)
• The Role of Local Authorities in Monitoring Financial-economic Activities of Hospitals and Healthcare Quality (S. Dyachenko)