STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. To die or find $200,000. The amount can be much higher even. Thousands of Ukrainians face this choice daily united by a common diagnosis – cancer. Both adults and children are affected by oncology diseases. How to collect money and who helps those unhappy? We are going to talk about it with Tatyana Bakhteyeva, Chairman of Health Care Committee. I am happy to welcome you in our studio. The subject is really hard to talk about. But we know that only few of Ukrainians are funded by the government to go abroad for treatment. What should one do in this case? Where to go?

STUDIO: Tatyana BAKHTEYEVA, Chairman of Health Care Committee: “Yes, the whole sector is being funded insufficiently today. This affects obviously the chances for examination and treatment for our fellow countrymen abroad. The budget 2008 allocates UAH 7m to this goal. This is certainly not enough. And many people stay in long queues. Children, firstly. Children with cancer, children with blood diseases, children with neurological illnesses that need help including prosthetics in other countries. Yet unfortunately the money will be enough for few – 10 children – to go there, not more. Today we talk about such a very important problem in Ukraine as oncological diseases. We say that early detection and diagnosis is very much important. Every year 160,000 new cases are registered, while the total number of people with cancer in Ukraine makes almost one million. This is a huge figure. Today we also speak about undetected cases. Regrettably, the cases detected today within 160,000 are in advanced stage when it is not operable and assigned treatment almost doesn’t help. Modern world uses the golden standard for examination of cancer patients and control over their treatment. This is a PET facility – a positron and emission tomography scanner available in all countries – 2,000 in the US, 800 – in Europe, 18 – in Paris, 15 – in Moscow. Ukraine hasn’t got any so far. It is the golden standard that diagnoses and treats cancer as well as makes complex examinations. This pathology prevails in morbidity and mortality structure in Ukraine with 60% dying of cardiovascular disorders. PET is also reliable and recognized for examinations of the nervous system. So, purchase of the facility has been critical for our country for long. But since only UAH 30m were allocated on cancer equipment acquisition program in 2008, we realize that 24 regions of Ukraine will get about 1m each, not more. They can’t buy expensive facilities that cost now around $10m. I am sorry to say it, but these are facts. I am sure that our funding of the industry even in 10 years will be extremely insufficient and probably won’t provide for centralized purchases of expensive equipment like PET”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. Ms Bakhteyeva, the State Statistics Committee revealed on 1 June, that 14 people with cancer have been treated so far at amount of 6m. You said that 7m has been provided. Another six months of the year are ahead. You mean, people with cancer won’t be treated any more?

STUDIO: Tatyana Bakhteyeva: “It seems they won’t. They will stand in a queue hoping that more funds will be allocated to this purpose next year. Probably, hope for sponsorship. Many patients in need approach us and MPs. You can often see TV channels, newspapers, and magazines urging to assist, provide charitable and sponsorship help to treat Ukrainians abroad. But we want to have these facilities. Because the cost of the PET examination in another country makes €1,000-3,000. You need to pay the amount and have money to go there. Certainly an average Ukrainian can’t afford it. We need this equipment in our country badly. That’s why they are extremely important for the oncology”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK: Doctors say that if Ukraine spends or allocates in the national budget less than 5% of GDP, this nation is doomed to die out.

STUDIO: Tatyana BAKHTEYEVA: “The World Health Organization says that if health care is funded less than 5% of GDP, you can say that this country doesn’t have this industry. That's why our funding for 2008 – which is 3.2. of GDP signals the critical situation our health industry in. It also proves that funding is not enough, medical workers have small salaries, and we have poor provision with medicines as well as many other problems that are important and clear for each person. Because health is perhaps the core for longevity. It is the future of our country, its individual and national value".

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. How much has been envisaged by the national budget on development of medicine and medical industry in 2008?

STUDIO: Tatyana BAKHTEYEVA: “We have 22bn for 2008. But 80% will be spent to pay salaries. We have a lot of – a brigade, an army of medical workers – that comes to 1.2m people”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. Is it the indebtedness?

STUDIO: Tatyana BAKHTEYEVA: “Yes. This will obviously be salary. And only 20% will be meant to pay for…. to buy equipment, purchase medicines, food, minor and overhaul repairs. Almost nothing is left”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK: There is Okhmatdet Center in Kiev regarded as the most modern cancer treatment facility in Ukraine. But its head doctor Svetlana Donskaya says not everybody can get treatment since funding for treating children with cancer is insufficient.

STUDIO: Tatyana BAKHTEYEVA: “Regrettably, our committee had a field session at Okhmatdet Republican Hospital and realized that too. The hospital requires huge support. It funds 60% of its needs. We should remember that it helps almost each child from any region. Annually 22,000 of our little patients undergo treatment courses there. And certainly funding of children oncology is extremely insufficient. The Committee initiated a bill registered in the Parliament to pay a daily allowance from salaries of MPs to help Okhmatdet. I believe all MPs will sustain the decision when the Parliament resumes working”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK: At the same time, the head doctor says there are illnesses curable in Ukraine and they provide this treatment to children. But there is an incurable disease in Ukraine – bone marrow transplantation – which is not cured in Okhmatdet. These children must go abroad with financial support of the state or charities. When does the government help to those without money to go anywhere?

STUDIO: Tatyana BAKHTEYEVA: “This category of adults and children is covered by the funds allocated by the Ministry of Public Health on treatment of our patients abroad including children. This is extremely little. This disorder is the most difficult for us and patients have to go abroad for treatment. Yet we have equal capacities and capabilities with other illnesses. We have excellent specialists and I've always been proud of being a doctor. I say it often at meetings with colleagues that a doctor didn't just choose this profession and went to work. No, he works because he is passionate about it. Especially today when economy is in a poor state. Salary is also low and we only hope for additional sources of funding. This will include insurance medicine, certainly paid-for medicine, big sponsorship and charity which have seen some striking examples in our country”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. What do you mean?

STUDIO: TATYANA BAKHTEYEVA: “Rinat Akhmetov has held a press-conference today announcing his donation of $40m to cancer program in our country with $10m to be given to the National Institute of Cancer to buy PET scanner I’ve mentioned. We need it badly today. This will be open for treatment of all patients from all regions of our country. The same facility will be purchased for Donetsk Diagnostic Center, where patients from Southern and Eastern Ukraine will be examined. And a cyber knife for the Donetsk Regional Cancer Dispensary is essential for operations on people with cancer. Also, Mr Akhmetov has donated $10m to Western Ukraine, to Lvov Cancer Dispensary that needs badly magnetic resonance scanner, a computer scanner, and a linear accelerator. So, we can’t discuss today installation of a third PET in this region because the National Institute of Cancer and Donetsk Region have excellent facilities and modern technologies e.g. MGI, a spiral computer, and linear accelerators. Western Ukraine doesn’t have them and we need to start with this equipment first to move consistently forward later. It has been recognized today by medical community. There were patients in the hall that have experienced this terrible word and dreadful disease – cancer. Today they can be cured because the illness was diagnosed early and top-quality doctors treated them. Today there was a young pregnant lady that has a family and will be a mother very soon. She just recovered from the disease and she will lead a happy life. Today there were scholars and medical workers. They highly acclaimed the news which is unmatched in Ukraine”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. What prompted him to do so? Did you approach him, or the Committee?.. Why did the idea to provide $40m emerge?

STUDIO: TATYANA BAKHTEYEVA: "Yes, we discussed demographic situation in our country with him and he asked many questions and listened with humane pain in eyes... When we started discussing cancer in particular; when he learnt that the figure is close to 1m of Ukrainians suffering from oncology illnesses and that 160,000 cancer cases are detected. When he understood that a person can completely recover 90-95% even 100% on the first and second stages and be an almost healthy person, he was especially touched. We also spoke then about shortage of funding and that with 30m problems can’t be solved. We said we couldn’t buy today expensive equipment vital for our country. We sent a letter on behalf of the Committee with the figures and request to help. Neither we nor I guessed the amount will be so high, that it will be UAH 200m. But he made the decision, he made a right decision. Our country today says thank you very much to him”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. Ms Bakhteyeva, how the funds will be controlled? Well, I mean the equipment will be bought and everybody will see it. But the money for development of diagnostics and medicines, how will they be controlled?

STUDIO: TATYANA BAKHTEYEVA: “You mean governmental funds?”

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK: Those provided by Mr Akhmetov.

STUDIO: TATYANA BAKHTEYEVA: "Ah, right... Well, this question has been asked at the press-conference today. He said it was a second-line thing. The major goal for him is to install the facilities as soon as possible, to make them work today or tomorrow, as soon as possible. I think we, the Committee and the Republican Center will get involved. All specialists will partake with understanding and big responsibility since this is humanitarian aid. Our country has seen this for the first time ever. Let it be a striking example of Ukrainian business-elite. May these good deeds happen and continue. Everybody will handle the equipment purchase with big responsibility. We will hold a tender and an open auction democratically. We will buy only the best equipment, and the cheapest, I mean not cheap and with the biggest discount given by sellers. We will ensure maintenance for several years. This is extremely important as we have poor funding. People were also concerned with maintenance of the facilities. They said if the equipment was expensive, their maintenance would be also expensive. And whether the foundation of Rinat Akhmetov will keep helping. He said the foundation would certainly provide help to ensure operation of the facilities. I want also to emphasize that local government, I mean regions, Kiev, Republican Center, the budget of the Ministry, the National Institute of Cancer, as well as Donetsk and Lvov regions must be involved to the required extent to maintain this expensive facilities. Everything will be good then, they will function for patients that need them badly”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. We hope Mr Akhmetov won’t be the last benefactor. But you can’t wait all the time … and hope for benefactors to come. The government must take care for patients because we have other problems with TB, HIV/AIDS, etc.

STUDIO: TATYANA BAKHTEYEVA: “Sure, we have over 20 programs today including TB, HIV/AIDS, programs for children, maternity and childhood care projects. We run many of them, 24, and they all are not funded sufficiently. The overall financing percentage is 40%, maximum 60%. They obviously require additional funding sources and increases of state spending. Under additional sources I mean introduction of insurancee medicine, paid-for medicine and sponsorship. But what we’ve seen today is really of big importance for our country. Everybody understands it. Everybody expresses gratitude today. I received lots of calls on my way here. My colleagues from Western Ukraine, from Chernigov, Zaporozhye that attended the press-conference today called me asking whether Mr Akhmetov will be helping in future, whether he’ll help all regions. He said definitely "yes" that the door of the Foundation is open to help. But I want to thank him and the Foundation once again for what he's done. May this be a shining example and these deeds repeat in our country regularly. I wish Ukrainian business elite could help health industry that needs it so much”.

STUDIO: Svetlana HLUSHENOK. We also call them to do it. With this optimistic note, please let me thank you for joining us today. I remind that today we have spoken to Tatyana Bakhteyeva, Chairman of Health Care Committee. May you always be in good health.

Source: Ukraine: TV channels: Rada
Time: 10 July, 2008