Protecting mothers and children is one of the priority areas of the Program of Medical Guarantees. Therefore, regardless of where they live or are registered, expectant mothers and women giving birth can count on high-quality free pregnancy management and childbirth care.
Where an expectant mother can go for pregnancy management
For pregnancy monitoring, you can choose any public or private healthcare facility that has a contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) for the “Outpatient pregnancy management” package.
Pregnancy management by an obstetrician-gynecologist is free both when you come on your own without a referral and when you have a referral from a family doctor or attending physician.
Under the “Outpatient pregnancy management” package, the patient receives the following services:
- regular monitoring of the course of pregnancy
- the necessary laboratory tests: from a complete blood count to tests for viruses and perinatal infections
- instrumental examinations: Doppler ultrasound, transvaginal ultrasound cervicometry, colposcopy, cardiotocography, electrocardiography, etc.
- prenatal screening
- prevention of Rh sensitization by administering anti-D immunoglobulin
- referral to a perinatal case conference (if signs of fetal anomalies or congenital or hereditary conditions are found) or a multidisciplinary case conference (if the patient is found to have a high-risk pregnancy)
- post-exposure prophylaxis of sexually transmitted infections in cases of gender-based violence
- full information on the course of the pregnancy and on the individual plan for pregnancy management and childbirth
- information for the patient on conditions in which she should seek medical help and on perinatal care facilities where, depending on her health and the condition of the fetus, she is advised to give birth, etc.
If the patient needs hospitalization, the gynecologist refers her to an inpatient unit, where she will also receive all necessary medical care free of charge under the inpatient package.
Childbirth care is free regardless of place of residence
Neither the place of registration nor the actual place of residence is grounds for charging for medical care. In facilities that have a contract with the NHSU, childbirth care is free; its cost is paid by the NHSU. Therefore, patients with IDP status do not have to pay anything extra for medical care, including childbirth care.
Childbirth care is provided free of charge both when the woman is brought in by an emergency (ambulance) team and when she comes on her own without a referral.
During childbirth, the patient receives all necessary medicines, medical devices, pain relief and laboratory tests free of charge:
- childbirth care by the on-duty obstetric team
- partner-assisted birth
- management of uncomplicated and complicated births
- emergency or planned cesarean section
- monitoring of the condition of the woman in labor and the fetus
- pain relief: analgesics, epidural or spinal analgesia, etc.
- anesthesia for surgical interventions and obstetric procedures
- laboratory and instrumental tests 24/7
- consultations with doctors of other specialties;
- post-exposure antiretroviral (ART) prophylaxis for babies born to HIV-positive mothers
- a number of newborn screenings (serological testing for HIV and syphilis, screening for critical congenital heart defects and other conditions under the extended newborn screening program)
- newborn hearing assessment;
- vaccination of the newborn according to the immunization schedule
- counseling on breastfeeding and postpartum contraception;
- organization of the integrated e-service “eMalyatko”;
- meals during the hospital stay, etc.
If you are unlawfully asked to pay for pregnancy monitoring or childbirth, file a complaint with the NHSU. The contact center operator at 16-77 will explain how to do this.
How to find a healthcare facility contracted with the NHSU
- Call the NHSU contact center at 16-77. Choose to be connected to an operator and ask where the nearest facilities providing pregnancy management or childbirth care are.
- Find facilities with an NHSU contract yourself using the online map on the dashboard “Contracts signed for medical services to the population under the Program of Medical Guarantees”. To search, apply the “Service group” filter, select the package “35. Outpatient pregnancy management” or “7. Childbirth care”, and specify the locality you need. The map will show healthcare facilities, with phone numbers and addresses, that match the filters you entered. You can go to the dashboard via this link
So pregnancy management and childbirth care are services paid for by the NHSU under the Program of Medical Guarantees. To check which services are free, which facilities have a contract with the NHSU and how much funding these facilities have received, expectant mothers can use the “I Will Be a Mother” (Budu mamoiu) chatbot developed by the NGO “Liky Kontrol” and the charitable foundation “280 Days”. The chatbot provides a step-by-step guide on how to get free pregnancy care, childbirth care and neonatal services.