Ukrainian private rehabilitators, who worked as non-profit organizations, lost the opportunity to receive state compensation for providing rehabilitation services to children with disabilities. This decision of the Ministry of Social Policy, which excluded individual entrepreneurs (PPOs) from the list of institutions that can receive budget funds for the provision of rehabilitation services, was adopted at the end of June 2024.
According to the new clarifications of the Ministry of Social Policy, FOPs can no longer be considered rehabilitation institutions, as they are not part of the rehabilitation system, as defined in the Law of Ukraine "On the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities". In order to continue providing services for budget funds, rehabilitators are forced to re-register as legal entities, obtain new licenses and meet new requirements.
For many FOPs, this decision means the loss of the opportunity to work with children with disabilities, whose parents cannot pay for rehabilitation services on their own. Government compensation was the only source of funding for many rehabilitators. Now they are forced to look for new legal forms for their activities or refuse to provide services.
The business ombudsman council drew attention to the legal conflict: although the basic law "Basics of the legislation of Ukraine on health care" allows FOPs to provide rehabilitation services, the special law regulating the provision of rehabilitation assistance at state expense is not consistent with this. This creates discriminatory conditions for FOPs compared to other economic entities that can provide these services and violates the principles of equality and good governance.
The Ministry of Social Policy should reconsider its decision and restore the possibility of FOPs to provide rehabilitation services with state funds. The Council of the Business Ombudsman believes that the essence of the rights to provide rehabilitation services should have more weight than the organizational and legal form of the business.
Children with disabilities who need rehabilitation can receive an electronic referral for inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation. For this you need:
- Go to the website of the National Health Service of Ukraine.
- Select the region and settlement on the map of service locations.
- Familiarize yourself with available groups of services: outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation services for children.
