State policy risks crowding Ukrainian private clinics out of healthcare program – expert

A prominent expert asserts that Ukraine's current healthcare strategy may push private clinics out of the Medical Guarantees Program (PMG), a nationwide insurance scheme. The primary challenge for private healthcare providers is their exclusion from the PMG if they haven't previously held contracts. This exclusion, combined with artificial barriers, could result in a significant reduction of private operators within the system, according to Mykola Skavronsky, deputy CEO of the Synevo Ukraine laboratory network.

During a recent roundtable discussion on healthcare in Ukraine, Skavronsky highlighted Synevo's contribution to the PMG, providing medical services to nearly 2 million people and conducting over 10 million tests in 2024. However, Synevo received only about 13% of the total market value for these services, amounting to just UAH 313 million from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU).

Skavronsky emphasized that while the PMG's original premise was to reimburse providers based on patient outcomes, the current system appears to prioritize state or municipal facilities, disadvantaging private labs. Private laboratories are paid three times less than municipal ones for the same work. The expert identified several obstacles to private laboratories' participation in the PMG, including retroactive changes to operating terms, lack of transparency in cooperation terms, and selective crediting of performed tests.

The NHSU often credits only a fraction of the tests actually carried out, leading to a discrepancy between the work performed and the payments received. Skavronsky revealed that around 700,000 tests performed by Synevo in the first three quarters of 2026 were not credited by the NHSU. He also pointed out that new providers are barred from the PMG if they lack previous contracts, further straining the relationship between private providers and the state in the name of patient care.