The Current Climate of Clinical Trials in Russia and Ukraine | Page 10

UKRAINE
Health Care in Ukraine
As in Russia, the health of the population, level of
health care and expense of health care has resulted in
a patient base that is relatively willing to access clinical
trials to supplement the limited publicly available
treatment options.
Health Status
In Ukraine, the life expectancy (71 years)7 is also
almost 10 years lower than the OECD average of
80.2 years and is lower in men than in women by
approximately 10 years.7 The high mortality, morbidity
and disability rates rank Ukraine as having one of the
worst health profiles in Europe.30
The incidence of respiratory diseases remains 10
times higher than those of cardiovascular diseases and
diseases of the genitourinary system, which are the
next most frequently occurring diseases.31 Mortality
is related with chronic diseases for which smoking,
obesity, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol
consumption are risk factors, including cardiovascular
disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer and metabolic
diseases.30 As in Russia, the three main causes of death
in Ukraine include cardiovascular diseases, cancers and
external causes.30

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Level of Care
Per 1,000 population in 2014, there were 4.4 physicians
(OECD average, 3.2),32 8.9 nurses32 and 7.9 hospital
beds (OECD average, 4.8).33
Although routine screening and prophylaxis has
resulted in the detection of earlier stages of certain
diseases, many patients do not seek treatment until the
disease has progressed, and a high rate of untreated or
late-stage cancers persists. As a result, the prevalence
of the untreated population is higher than in Western
Europe or the US.34
For specialized diagnostics and treatment, patients
are often referred from small cities to big centers, and
a number of specialized centers exist, particularly
for oncology. In addition to specialized oncology
departments and centers, there is a network of
oncology institutes and 46 oncology dispensaries.
Specialized oncology care is organized by the MoH and
includes the Ukrainian Research Institute of Oncology
of the Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine, which
provides scientific leadership and serves as a national
cancer institute and base for the Ukrainian Cancer
Registry. The cancer registration process is initiated by
the general practitioner, and there are both populationbased and hospital-based cancer registries.