Financing Mechanisms of Ophthalmological Care in Ukraine: Current State and Main Problems

МЕХАНІЗМИ ФІНАНСУВАННЯ ОФТАЛЬМОЛОГІЧНОЇ ДОПОМОГИ В УКРАЇНІ: ПОТОЧНИЙ СТАН ТА ОСНОВНІ ПРОБЛЕМИChanges in the current healthcare system began with the reform in 2018.During this time, it was possible to transform the primary level of medical care, to introduce the concept of a family doctor in all public and most private healthcare facilities, and to expand the pool of family doctors.Further reform of the healthcare system involves the development of powerful and high-quality specialized medical care.Since the most important and complex treatment usually takes place at the secondary and tertiary levels of medical care, it is clear that a lot of effort and resources are required to maintain high-quality services and access to them.Also, during changes to any system, its weaknesses are revealed, which must be strengthened or completely eliminated.Therefore, the main goal of the study was to analyze the organization of specialized medical care for cataract and glaucoma, in particular, the mechanisms of financing specialized medical care and state financial guarantees of medical care for the population with ophthalmic diseases, both in public and private healthcare facilities.In order to study the above-mentioned issues, the main regulatory legal acts that are governed by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the National Health Service of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and other government institutions were analyzed.Also, in order to reach research questions, the requirements and specifications of the packages of the Programme of Medical Guarantees 2020-2022 were considered.The results of the analysis showed that the treatment of cataract and glaucoma is carried out both on an inpatient and outpatient levels, including 1-day hospitalization.The state financial guarantees of medical care that the government offers to the public do not currently cover all the needs of patients with cataract and glaucoma.Also, most ophthalmic services are provided in private healthcare facilities due to the availability of a wider range of ophthalmic services and quality treatment.Further directions of research will concern a deeper and more detailed analysis of the conditions of financial guarantees of ophthalmic services offered in the public and private sectors.Зміни в сьогочасній системі охорони здоров'я почалися з реформи у 2017 році.За цей час вдалося трансформувати первинний рівень медичної допомоги, впровадити поняття сімейного лікаря в усі державні й більшість приватних закладів охорони здоров'я, й розширити штат сімейних лікарів.Подальше