President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law on the liquidation of Medical and Social Expert Commissions (MSEC) from January 1, 2025.
This is stated in the bill card No. 12178.
Now the functions of the MSEC will be performed by expert commissions formed in cluster and supracluster hospitals. And instead of the concept of "medical and social expertise", the term "assessment of everyday human functioning" will appear.
The Ministry of Health explained what else this law changes:
- there will be no need for medical advisory commissions: treating physicians will be able to refer for evaluation, and military personnel will be referred by doctors based on clear criteria using an electronic system;
- The person will be able to involve their authorized representative in the assessment process, for example, a doctor who will be able to explain the patientʼs case;
- determine which doctors are authorized to conduct assessments and which are not;
- will introduce mechanisms for appealing the decisions of such teams.
The new system will be financed through the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU).
What preceded this
At the end of October 2024, the Ministry of Health announced that the central MSEK would be liquidated by the end of the year. This decision was preceded by the exposure of the head of the Khmelnytsky regional MSEK, Tetyana Krupa. She is suspected of illegally enriching herself by millions of hryvnias in a case involving the illegal registration of disability for men.
Current heads of the MSEC will not be allowed to hold positions in the updated system of medical commissions. However, other doctors who currently work at the MSEC will be able to apply for work at the hospital from January 1, 2025, but only if they are practicing medicine.