The Law No 7117 on increasing accessibility and quality of healthcare in the rural areas currently requires joint efforts to be implemented. A joint letter of MinRegion and the Ministry of Health regarding the development of the outpatient clinics network, as well as the healthcare subvention for creation of infrastructure, have been already sent to the regions, emphasised Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister - Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine at the Government session.

“The next significant step is the initiative of local self-government bodies, as it will influence the quality of primary healthcare provision in the rural areas. The activity of AHs, management of the rayon level, pace of the outpatient networks' construction with due account of the primary healthcare accessibility will have an impact on the allocation of adequate state funds to provide transportation, housing, motivation package for healthcare specialists," said Hennadii Zubko.

According to him, the Ministry of Health is currently preparing a methodology for the establishment of the primary healthcare network, that will make this service available in the rural areas. “Changes will also take place inside the outpatient clinic: these are the issues of medical protocols, procedures, and introduction of E-health etc. These steps are a vivid example of sectoral decentralisation that changes the quality of services in hromadas,” said the official.