Rescue service in the Ukraine
History The first rescue station was founded in Kiev by the doctors association in Kiev on 30 June 1902, with nine doctors, eight paramedics and three coachmen. The vehicle fleet consisted of three horse and carriages, which were purchased through donations of the citizens and companies of the town of Kiev. The financial situation was also difficult at the time already and rescue measures were mainly financed from donations in the first few years.
Definition The “fast medical aid” (SMH) was responsible for medical emergencies in the Ukraine. The following tasks are performed by the rescue service: - Qualified medical assistance with emergency patients directly at the emergency location and with the transport of patients and injured persons in a critical condition; the stipulated deadlines for assistance are: up to 15 minutes in the town and 30-40 minutes in the country;
- Patient transport, i.e. transport of sick people and women giving birth, whose condition requires inpatient emergency treatment and the accompaniment by a doctor;
- Medical emergency assistance with the combating of disasters
Organisation/financing Institutions of the state and municipal health authorities are commissioned with carrying out the emergency rescue. The highest rescue service authority is the Ministry for Health of the Ukraine. The lower rescue service authorities are health departments at Oblast (Region), town and district administrative authorities. The rescue services are respectively financed from the state and the municipal sector budget within the framework of a fixed flat rate and are free for emergency patients including foreigners. The nationwide supply with rescue services is ensured through the erection of nationwide rescue units in line with the needs – independent rescue stations or rescue departments of the state hospitals.
Control centres All assignments by the rescue services are controlled centrally by the rescue control centres. The nationwide emergency number is „103“, it is planned to introduce the emergency number „112“.
The rescue control centre keeps a record of the willingness of the hospitals to accept patients and provide a service and cooperates with the medical bases on stations, at airports, stadiums as well as with the police, the fire service and the civil protection authorities. During the preparation for avoid dangers and when coping with accidents, disasters and major damage events the rescue service coordinates joint actions with police, the fire service, civil protection.
Personnel Pre-hospital medical emergency services with emergency patients are provided by the medical rescue teams of the “fast medical assistance”. Besides the rescue teams for general emergency medicine cardiological, neurological, psychiatric and intensive care rescue teams are also available. At least two suitable qualified persons have to assist with rescue assignments: a rescue doctor and a rescue assistant (doctor’s assistant) and a driver. The emergency rescue is one of the most important service fields of the state health service in the Ukraine.
- It comprises eight professorships for emergency medicine and six professorships for disaster medicine at medical university institutions
- 987 rescue units, including 96 independent rescue stations and 891 departments in the central district hospitals, in which 4,200 rescue teams work and approx. 9,.000 rescue doctors and more than 21,000 doctor’s assistants, altogether more than 50,000 workers, guarantee emergency medical help 24 hours a day
- 12 clinics for emergency medical assistance with a capacity of more than 6,000 beds.
Despite the difficult economic situation in the country the “fast medical assistance” has been able to safeguard its potential. The emergency medical assistance is provided 24 hours a day on seven days a week.
The rescue service in the Ukraine is currently being reformed to a large extent with the aim to adapt the rescue service to the standards which apply in Europe. The drawing up and amendment of service standards, teaching programmes for rescue services, the stipulation of fair wage tariffs for task forces, the equipment of the rescue service with a special rescue transport in line with the EU regulations among others – all of this runs parallel to the Parliament discussions about the draft concerning the introduction of a mandatory health insurance, the entry into force of which represents the basis for a successful execution of reform projects in the rescue service. |
