When Information Gives Power: an open data platform helps patients get medicine | UNDP in Ukraine

lterrat's bookmarks 2017-05-01

Summary:

"Olga is a 24-year-old Ukrainian mother from the Rivne Oblast. It was time for her child to get vaccinated, but you can imagine Olga’s disappointment when, at the hospital, she was told there were no vaccines in stock. But Olga did not want to give up. Back home, she started browsing the internet and found the eliky.in.ua website, with detailed information about medicine availability in public hospitals. The website showed that indeed vaccines were available in the hospital she had just visited. She called the Eliky hotline which confirmed that the information shown was correct, and that she had the right to ask for her child to be vaccinated at no cost. When Olga went back to the hospital armed with this information, the doctor had to admit that free vaccines were in stock, and Olga’s child finally got his vaccines.

Olga’s experience is the same as that of many other women and men in Ukraine, who are often denied opportunities to receive medical supplies for themselves and their children.  The main excuse they are provided is that the medicines are out of stock. Until recently, Ukrainian patients had no way to verify such information. Now, for the first time, patients in Rivne and Odessa oblasts can check the availability of medicines and medical supplies in two clicks on the E-Liky website, or through mobile applications. These solutions, successfully piloted by UNDP, oblast administrations and patients’ organizations in the two oblasts, can now be further rolled out in other oblasts.

Lack of information, absence of transparency, and high prices (often due to lack of competition), have been major sources of corruption in the Ukrainian healthcare system.  This results in excessive costs for patients who need to purchase necessary and lifesaving medicine. These costs may be prohibitive for a significant number of people. According to a 'Patients of Ukraine' report, 43 percent of patients have to borrow money or sell goods or property to be treated."

Link:

http://www.ua.undp.org/content/ukraine/en/home/ourperspective/ourperspectivearticles/2017/04/28/when-information-is-power-open-data-platforms-are-helping-patients-get-their-medicines.html

From feeds:

Open Access Tracking Project (OATP) » lterrat's bookmarks

Tags:

oa.patients oa.lay

Date tagged:

05/01/2017, 00:29

Date published:

04/30/2017, 20:29