NSHU has partially stopped payments to hospitals: what is it about and will anything change for patients

The changes came into effect on October 1, 2024

Natalia Gdovskaia/Getty Images

On October 1, 2024, the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSHU) stopped payments to primary care institutions for treating patients if they did not confirm their identity.

To a large extent, this applies to children who mostly do not have an individual taxpayer code, which is necessary for document verification. However, the Ministry of Health assures that the changes will bypass them for the time being.

The new order of payments is provided for by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1394, reminded in NSZU.

According to it, by October 1, Ukrainians who previously signed declarations with family doctors, pediatricians and therapists, had to clarify their phone numbers and registration numbers of tax payers’ registration cards (RNOKPP) (formerly – tax identification number).

In the absence of this information in the Electronic Health Care System (ECHS), doctors will no longer receive funds for helping patients.

In the Ministry of Health explainedthat such measures are implemented in order to “ensure the relevance and reliability of patient data”.

“Currently, verification is carried out by exchanging data of the ESOZ with the State Register of Individuals – Taxpayers (DRFO) and the State Register of Civil Status Acts of Citizens (DRATSSG)”– added the Ministry of Health.

According to the National Health Service, currently 4.9 million unverified patients have been identified in the system, of which 4.3 are Ukrainians under the age of 18.

At the end of September, shortly before the implementation of the changes, Ukrainian medical workers began to sound the alarm on social networks, because most children do not have RNOCPP and cannot confirm their data in the EHOZ.

In particular, pediatrician and founder of the “Vulyk” family clinic in Lviv, Yaryna Pikulytska, toldthat due to the loss of payment for the treatment of children, the medical institution may lose “50% of the income according to the declarations”.

The doctor noted that in the absence of the necessary data, medical workers will not receive payment for services, but they still have an obligation to help unverified patients.

“Essentially, we, and those like us – providers of medical services and partners of the National Health Service – are becoming hostages of this situation.

Because we do not have the right not to provide medical services, we do not have the right to take payments for services (because the de jure declaration is active), and patients mostly do not care whether they pay us or not – this story will not speed them up to take any actions in the tax department, but those who will speed up will be a significant minority”– said Yaryna Pikulytska.

September 28, NSZU assuredwhich prepared “necessary changes” to Resolution No. 1394, which should improve the situation. In a comment for “UP. Life”, representatives of the press service confirmed that these changes were initiated back in August 2024.

On September 28, information appeared that these changes were approved by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. This happened just a few days before the entry into force of new rules on payment of services to medical institutions.

October 1 Cabinet of Ministers continued the period of verification of children in the health care system until February 1, 2025.

Therefore, patients under the age of 18 have more time to be verified in the system by providing data about RNOCPP, so that medical institutions can receive payments for their treatment.

Currently, Ukrainians they can submit an application for obtaining a RNOKPP and register in the State Register of Taxpayers together with an application for obtaining a passport of a citizen of Ukraine – within a month after the 14th birthday.

Also, within the framework of the “eMalyatko” project, parents can submit an application obtaining a taxpayer code for a child during the state registration of his birth.

You can also get an RNOKPP by applying to the territorial bodies of the State Tax Service.

The editors of “Ukrainian Pravda. Life” appealed to the NSHU and the Ministry of Health with a request to clarify the purpose of the verification, its procedure and the role of medical workers in it. As of the time of publication of the material, no response has been received.

Formerly NSZU toldhow to act in the case of receiving information about appointments with doctors that did not actually take place.