In 2023, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine made a centralized purchase of 44 units of high-cost medical equipment worth 1.6 billion hryvnias. Among the purchased items were linear accelerators for cancer treatment, magnetic resonance imaging scanners, and dental computed tomography scanners. However, as of November 2024, only 2 of these units had been put into operation, which is only 4.5% of the planned number.
The procurement, carried out through the State Enterprise “Medical Procurement of Ukraine”, was the first centralized attempt by the Ministry of Health to purchase high-tech medical equipment for state-owned medical institutions. However, the process was delayed, and by 2024, only half of the equipment had reached medical institutions, but remained inactive.
The Audit Chamber's audit revealed serious problems in the organization of procurement. In particular, it was found that the Ministry of Health did not conduct a proper analysis of the needs of medical institutions for such equipment, and the procurement process itself was accompanied by significant shortcomings. Equipment that did not meet the requirements in terms of type and quantity was distributed among several institutions that did not have ready-made premises for its installation.
Moreover, some of the equipment was stored in inappropriate conditions, which could have affected its performance. This reflects systemic problems in procurement and management of medical supplies, which led to a significant gap between government spending and actual use of equipment.
In addition, due to numerous delays in the process of supplying and redistributing equipment, citizens who could receive medical care using these latest technologies remain without access to them.
The Ministry of Health and the State Enterprise "Medical Procurement of Ukraine" have already declared their readiness to correct the situation: the Ministry promises to understand the reasons for the delays and speed up the process of putting medical equipment into operation, as well as establish clear criteria for distributing equipment between medical institutions.
Against the background of this situation, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine recommends providing medical institutions with the necessary additional equipment for putting linear accelerators into operation, as well as completing the preparation of premises for their installation.
Overall, these problems with organizing procurement and installing medical equipment demonstrate management shortcomings that have serious consequences for Ukrainians' access to necessary medical care.
