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The approved procedure defines for the Ukrainian citizens the rules for choosing a primary care doctor: general practitioner, pediatrician or family physician. This procedure is mandatory for all primary care providers in Ukraine.

Starting April 2, 2018, all citizens of Ukraine can freely choose a primary care doctor: a general practitioner for adults, pediatrician for kids or family physician for the entire family, provided that the healthcare facility where the chosen doctor works is already connected to the e-Health system (the unified electronic healthcare system in Ukraine).

By signing a New Patient Declaration Form or, in other words, contracting with the chosen doctor, patients report to the state through the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) that the money for their healthcare services should go to this particular primary care provider (according to the ‘money follows the patient’ principle). Therefore, the patient-doctor contract is actually an application form. There is no need to re-sign this contract, as it is valid until a patient decides to change the chosen doctor. When this is the case, a contract with a new doctor automatically terminates the previous one.

The Procedure also stipulates that patients can now choose any primary care doctor they want, regardless of the place of residence or registration. But it is important to check whether the chosen primary care provider has already been connected to the eHealth system, because patients’ data and medical records will be stored in an electronic system instead of countless folders or cardboard boxes. Just look for the sign "Here you can choose your doctor".