Today Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk got acquainted with the work of the modern central dispatching service in Poltava region, which was launched in September 2019.

"Central dispatching service in Poltava region is one of the successful examples of a pilot project within the scope of the medical reform. This is an example of how dispatchers across the country will work," Oleksiy Honcharuk said.

Dispatchers receive ambulance emergency calls from the whole region. All of them have medical education - paramedics. There are also doctors who work in five shifts. If a person needs additional assistance, they are sent to a consultant doctor or a senior doctor. More than 1,700 calls are received every day, of which more than 40% are advisory.

In total, there are 145 ambulance cars in Poltava, of which about 100 work daily in the city. All vehicles are equipped with GPS signals and ECG recorders. These are telemedicine devices that help to detect circulatory disorders in blood vessels at a distance. Therefore, a stroke or heart attack can be shortly detected.

"Just in the numbers: if earlier every fourth person had died with a suspected stroke - 25.5% due to misdiagnosis, now that figure has dropped to 13.4%. The Government's goal for 2020 is to save as many people’s lives as possible. And Poltava by its example already proves that it is possible to reduce mortality several times", the Head of Government stressed.

The PM added that in Ukraine, often people die because of incorrect hospitalization and late diagnosis. The sudden death is caused mostly by stroke (200,000 cases per year, 20% mortality) and myocardial infarction (50,000 cases, 30% mortality).

Oleksiy Honcharuk emphasized that such a situation is unacceptable and the Government will systematically fight against it: "On April 1, the second stage of the medical reform will start. The life and health of Ukrainians is our priority."