Stroke care can be received free of charge in 226 hospitals. The full cost of treatment is paid by the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU), regardless of the patient’s place of registration or status. So internally displaced persons can count on medical care anywhere in the country.
A stroke is an acute disturbance of blood circulation in the brain that damages brain tissue. A stroke usually happens suddenly. People at risk include those with high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol imbalance, obesity, etc. Smoking is also a risk factor: it doubles the risk of ischemic stroke and increases the likelihood of hemorrhagic stroke fourfold.
Unfortunately, many people do not know the signs of a stroke.
You can remember them using the Ukrainian acronym MOZOK (“brain”):
- Speech. Slurred pronunciation, mixed-up words.
- Face. Sudden facial asymmetry or a crooked smile.
- Dizziness. Loss of balance or coordination when walking, a sudden severe headache (as if from a blow).
- Eyes. Sudden deterioration of vision, double vision.
- Limbs. Sudden weakness or numbness, more often on one side. No strength to raise the arms.
So, to recognize a stroke, ask the person to smile, say a simple sentence, raise one or both arms, and stick out their tongue (in a stroke, the tongue may be crooked or turned to one side). Difficulty with even one of these tasks may be a sign of a stroke. Do not delay — call 103 immediately. Tell the emergency medical staff about the person’s characteristic signs. The emergency medical team will take a patient with suspected acute stroke not simply to the nearest healthcare facility, but to one that has a contract with the NHSU for stroke treatment.
When emergency medical care is provided, the place of registration and residence does not matter. Demanding an e-referral, charitable contributions or payment for individual tests from an internally displaced person who has been taken to hospital as an emergency is unlawful.
Free stroke treatment services the patient receives:
- Initial examination and assessment of the severity of the condition
- Neuroimaging for suspected acute stroke (no later than 60 minutes after the patient with suspected acute stroke arrives or is brought in).
- Laboratory tests: complete blood count, blood chemistry, coagulation tests, etc.
- All necessary instrumental examinations, in particular spiral computed tomography (SCT) of the brain, including CT angiography, and/or MRI of the brain, including non-contrast MR angiography, around the clock.
- Thrombolytic therapy, including the necessary medicines, for ischemic stroke.
- Endovascular neurointerventional procedures.
- Neurosurgical care.
- Regular monitoring of swallowing function.
- Consultation with a speech therapist or a speech and language therapist within the first 72 hours after hospitalization.
- Consultations with doctors.
- Rehabilitation care in the acute period.
- Round-the-clock medical supervision and nursing care in an inpatient setting.
- Provision of medicines, including for thrombolytic therapy, as defined by the National List of Essential Medicines and healthcare industry standards, as well as the necessary medical devices and consumables in accordance with healthcare industry standards and medical and technological documents.
- Timely sedation, anesthesia and pain relief at all stages of diagnosis and treatment.
- Meals during the hospital stay. Find out more about the list of services on the NHSU website nszu.gov.ua, in the section For Citizens / Free services under the Program of Medical Guarantees 2024 / Priority inpatient services. Or via the link: https://cutt.ly/EemHHHEL.
How can you make sure the ambulance has taken the patient to a hospital that treats stroke?
- Call the NHSU contact center at 16-77: the operator will tell you the nearest healthcare facilities that have a contract with the NHSU for stroke treatment.
- Use the analytics panel (dashboard) “Contracts signed for medical services to the population under the Program of Medical Guarantees”. In the filter panel on the left, select the region, the locality and, under “Service group”, “5 Medical care for acute stroke”. The map will show the nearest hospitals that diagnose and treat stroke.
You can go to the dashboard via this link: https://cutt.ly/SevDHJea
What should you do if a hospital asks you to pay for medical services, diagnostics or medicines?
If an internally displaced person was required to buy medicines or pay for services covered by the Program of Medical Guarantees, this is a violation of patient rights and of the terms of the NHSU’s contract with the healthcare facility.
In this case, you should file a complaint about the violation:
- by calling the NHSU contact center at 16-77
- by submitting the electronic form on the NHSU website: in the top menu, choose “For Citizens”, then “Feedback.
Here you can leave your questions, comments, suggestions, applications and complaints”. Or follow this link: https://cutt.ly/5eb9XKbN
The Program of Medical Guarantees provides all Ukrainians with the same list of free medical services and equal access to them, regardless of whether they have internally displaced person status. Learn more about the free medical services available under the Program of Medical Guarantees in the e-guide “Patient’s Guide to the Program of Medical Guarantees 2024”.
You can download the guide via this link.