A veteran demands that Zelensky dismiss the Minister of Social Policy for failing to provide fighters with quality prosthetics.

Considering his own experience and ongoing communication with comrades who have lost limbs and are undergoing rehabilitation, veteran Oleg Symoroz highlights significant problems in the field of prosthetics in Ukraine. In recent months, he has been engaged in meetings with central executive authorities to advocate for changes aimed at improving prosthetic services in Ukraine, including discussions with relevant ministers and authorized representatives of the President of Ukraine. He accuses the Ministry of Social Policy and its head, Oksana Zholnovich, of failing in this regard.

“Here are the efficiency figures of these 'effective managers.' The Ministry of Social Policy received 1.2 billion UAH for the state prosthetics program for 2024. And now, pay attention, do you know how much they have utilized this year, considering the projects they claim to complete by the year's end? 37 million UAH! That’s about 3.5% of the annual budget, a billion and some that has simply gone to waste in 2024, while thousands of injured soldiers are raising funds for proper prosthetics through volunteers. In 2023, they failed to use 700 million. So, all these stories about a lack of funds are completely false! There are queues of a thousand soldiers waiting for proper modern prosthetics, while we’ve lost a billion in the budget,” wrote veteran Oleg Symoroz, who lost his legs.

The veteran sees the problem in the system of maximum prices set by the government for compensating the cost of prosthetics, which are significantly undervalued, depriving severely injured soldiers of the opportunity to receive quality and modern prosthetics from the state.

“This also involves excessive, absolutely unjustified bureaucracy, forcing injured soldiers to spend a lot of time and effort on exhausting bureaucratic hurdles to secure their prosthetics. Ultimately, this is an extremely inefficient use of the funds allocated by the Ministry of Social Policy in the State Budget for prosthetics, resulting in a large portion of the allocated funds simply going unused and 'burning out' at the end of the year. There are also issues with prosthetics for civilians, where the situation is frankly terrible. I, along with other representatives of civil society, have discussed these issues substantively with officials during relevant meetings with senior officials of the central executive authority, particularly with Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovich,” wrote Oleg Symoroz.

He noted that activists have successfully pushed for an increase in the maximum prices for prosthetics, which now gives severely injured individuals a chance to receive high-quality microprocessor prosthetics for free, funded by the state. For high amputations, according to resolution 518, the amount will now be 1,719,373 UAH for one leg and 2,050,106 UAH for hip disarticulation. We have also achieved the exclusion of a discriminatory norm regarding the applicability of this resolution one year after the initial prosthetics; now microprocessor knees can be fitted immediately.

“However… I would like to draw attention to the problems that remain, and most importantly, why I do not believe in the effective use of the increased prices for prosthetics with such a Ministry of Social Policy,” wrote Oleg Symoroz.

The veteran demands that President Volodymyr Zelensky, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the actual leader of the ruling party “Servant of the People,” ensure the dismissal of Oksana Zholnovich from her position as Minister of Social Policy and finally oversee the resolution of all the extremely urgent and important issues in the field of prosthetics by his government.

How Ukrainian soldiers can obtain a free prosthesis - instructions from the Ministry of Social Policy

If a person is in a hospital, they should contact a social worker. The social worker will assist in processing the documents for prosthetics. Some hospitals have social workers as part of rehabilitation multidisciplinary teams. If there is no social worker at the hospital, it is advisable to ask the doctor to request a specialist from the territorial division of the Social Protection Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

If a person has already been discharged from the hospital, they can contact the nearest Center for Administrative Services or the local social protection authority. It is also possible to submit an application for free prosthetics online through the electronic cabinet for persons with disabilities. Detailed instructions can be found on the official portal of the Ministry of Social Policy.

Oksana Zholnovich also shared important information that needs to be known about free prosthetics in Ukraine. In particular:

• Military personnel do not need to wait for disability status to receive a prosthesis - it is enough to provide a certificate of the circumstances of the injury from the commander of the military unit;
• A Combatant Certificate is not mandatory for this (if such a document exists, it can be provided as well);
• Civilians affected by the war also have the right to free prosthetics;
• The state covers not only the cost of the prosthesis but also its maintenance and repair (if necessary);
• The maximum compensation amount for prosthetics for military personnel is 2 million UAH;
• The soldier has the right to choose the company for prosthetics independently; on average, the wait for a prosthesis should not exceed 30 days;
• Prosthetics are manufactured abroad, and Ukrainian prosthetists use them freely;
• The socket is custom-made (as it must fit perfectly for the specific individual).

"As our reality shows, with a prosthesis, one can drive a car, engage in sports, hike, and do many other everyday activities. The question also lies in the mastery and internal motivation of the individual. We from the state side are doing everything to ensure that quality prosthetics are available to those who need them," noted the Minister of Social Policy.

The Ministry of Social Policy also announced that as of September 13, a hotline for questions regarding rehabilitation, prosthetics/orthotics, and the provision of other assistive rehabilitation tools for military personnel who have been injured is operational in Ukraine. For information, you can call 15-45 (in the voice menu, select button 4). The support service will operate from 8 AM to 8 PM daily. Calls to the hotline are free.