Ukraine’s Ministry of Health has reported a milestone – over one billion medical services have been prescribed through the e-referral system under the program of medical guarantees.
What the Number Tells Us
The 1-billion figure reflects significant digital penetration of Ukraine’s health system. The NHSU eHealth database covers medical data on 35 million Ukrainians and connects the majority of health facilities and pharmacies in a single digital environment.
By comparison, in 2023 alone over 36.6 million e-referrals for laboratory diagnostics were issued — with over 26 million executed. In the first seven months of 2025, 3.6 million patients received 16.2 million laboratory services under PMG.
The outpatient consultation package covers 40 medical specialties, with no limits on the time or frequency of consultations.
Where we Need More Clarity
Reaching 1 billion issued referrals is a meaningful systems indicator. But issued is not the same as utilized — and the gap between the two is where the real public health story lives.
No utilization data is publicly available. There is no published breakdown of what proportion of e-referrals are actually acted on, and no systematic analysis in the public domain of why patients don’t follow through (aka barrier analysis).
Transportation remains the primary barrier. Based on our own research into Cash for Medical Referrals and the CVA Effectiveness Study, transportation is the dominant barrier preventing patients in conflict-affected areas from acting on referrals for secondary care — including labs, scans, and specialist consultations.
No disaggregation by specialty. The published data does not specify which specialists receive the most referrals, and whether the referral volume reflects actual morbidity and mortality trends. Ukraine’s leading cause of mortality remains cardiovascular disease — yet it is unknown how the e-referral flow maps onto cardiology, neurology, or oncology demand.
Mental health referrals are not reported separately. The proportion of e-referrals to psychologists and psychiatrists is not published. This is both an indicator of growing need — with 72% of surveyed Ukrainians reporting anxiety or depression in the past year (WHO, 2026) — and of the degree to which family doctors trained in mhGAP feel confident referring patients to mental health services.
It would also serve as a meaningful proxy for de-stigmatization of psychological support in Ukraine too – a major feet for the nationwide program ,such as “Ty Yak” and other in removing the barriers toward the mental counseling and support.
Source
Ministry of Health of Ukraine · moz.gov.ua