The official website of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine has published draft amendments to CMU Resolution No. 518, which may restrict the right of servicemen to receive prosthetics abroad. The League of the Strong sent a letter to the Ministry of Social Policy advocating for the preservation of this opportunity, as reported by Daria Sydorenko, executive director of the public union League of the Strong.
“The proposed amendments to Resolution No. 518 effectively eliminate the right to prosthetics abroad, as the procedure for obtaining them is being removed. If someone needs a prosthesis or orthosis with increased functionality that is not produced in Ukraine, they will not be able to receive state assistance to obtain it abroad,” explains Daria Sydorenko.
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, No. 518, dated October 1, 2014, defines the procedure for providing prosthetics and orthotics with products of increased functionality using the latest technologies and manufacturing processes not available in Ukraine, and/or special sports products for certain categories of citizens who have lost the functionality of a limb or limbs.
The draft amendments propose deleting the words “using the latest technologies and manufacturing processes not available in Ukraine” from the title and paragraphs 1 and 2. According to the lawyers of the League of the Strong, such changes could make it impossible to send certain categories of people outside Ukraine for prosthetics, as confirmed by the explanatory note to the Draft Resolution.
The draft amendments also propose reducing the period for a combatant to acquire the right to apply for a device with increased functionality from 12 to 6 months. According to the lawyers of the League of the Strong, this does not align with the goal of comprehensive social protection for certain categories of citizens and creates obstacles to the realization of their right to social security.