Address by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at the session of the Cabinet of Ministers

Distinguished colleagues, fellow Ukrainians.

We start a regular session of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Despite all the challenges of wartime, the Government continues to invest in education, healthcare, social programmes and reconstruction.

We understand the importance of such investments for development, sustainability and a better future for our country.

This year, the budget for healthcare was increased by more than UAH 13.5 billion. The budget of the medical guarantee programme grew by 10%.

At the same time, we are working to reduce prices for medicines and improve their availability for our citizens.

According to the Ministry of Health, since late February, there has been a significant decrease in the weighted average retail price for medicines included in the TOP-100 list. We are talking about a 27% reduction in prices.

Meanwhile, we are actively expanding the Affordable Medicines programme, which allows Ukrainians to receive 600 medicines and medical devices free of charge or with a small surcharge.

This year, all pharmacies will join the Affordable Medicines programme.

The Mobile Pharmacies programme is also constantly scaling up. It now operates in 15 regions, and people in remote villages and frontline regions can get the medicines they need.

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The reform of the Medical and Social Expert Commission plays an important role in reforming the healthcare sector.

The corrupt and bureaucratic system is being replaced by transparency and digitalisation.

More than 1400 expert teams carry out assessments in almost 300 medical institutions.

71,000 doctors work in the electronic system and submit referrals without unnecessary paperwork.

In the first three months of the new system's operation, decisions were made in relation to 130,000 of our people.

We do not stop. We continue to improve the new system.

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We also continue to work on providing our hospitals with the necessary equipment.

Last year, medical institutions received more than 100,000 medical devices and modern equipment.

We are investing in the reconstruction of hospitals damaged by russian terrorists. We have already restored a thousand such medical facilities.

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Healthcare, education, energy and housing are the key areas of the rapid recovery programme that is taking place here and now.

At a time when every hryvnia of taxpayers' money is spent on the defence and security of the country, the Government is constantly working to attract additional funding for the reconstruction.

Today, we are making a decision that will allow Ukraine to receive USD 84 million from the World Bank under the HOPE project.

These funds will be used to pay compensation for eVidnovlennia.

In total, more than 96,000 Ukrainian families have already received support from the state under this programme.

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The education sector also plays an important role in the reconstruction process. Safety is a key element.

Over the past two years, we have allocated a record UAH 14 billion for school shelters.

Today, we are distributing UAH 830 million in subventions to the regions to continue the work on the construction of shelters and creation of safe conditions in educational institutions.

The funds will be allocated to 15 communities and the regional budgets of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Khmelnytsky regions.

I am grateful to our teachers who are building the future of the country through quality education of Ukrainian children.

I thank our doctors for their care for the health of the Ukrainian nation.

I am grateful to our defenders, thanks to whom Ukraine remains independent.

Glory to Ukraine!