At present, only 11% of Ukrainian villages have pharmacies, said Mykhailo Radutsky, chairman of the relevant Verkhovna Rada Committee.
“If you translate it into numbers, it is 5.7 thousand pharmacies in villages and towns. However, there are still more than 20 thousand settlements in rural areas where there are still no pharmacies. This makes it difficult for residents to access medicines. This issue was recently discussed with Ukrainian experts and international partners at the forum “Affordable Medicines-2023”. The President’s team systematically supports initiatives that increase access to essential medicines for Ukrainians. The Parliament has adopted laws on managed access agreements and e-commerce, which allows receiving medicines by mail. In early August, the Government allowed mobile pharmacies to open in villages and frontline areas,” the parliamentarian commented.
A few days ago, the Government introduced changes to the minimum area of pharmacies and pharmacy outlets located in rural areas.
From now on, the total minimum area of pharmacies is no less than 30 square meters in towns and no less than 18 square meters in villages.
“All these decisions are aimed at increasing the availability of medicines for residents in rural areas and allowing market participants to open pharmacies under simplified requirements. Gradually, we are approaching the goal of having a pharmacy in every village and, accordingly, residents having access to medicines,” said Mykhailo Radutskyi.
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