There is an imbalance between the number of physical rehabilitation centers in Ukraine and the number of rehabilitation specialists that is currently insufficient, according to Vadim Kerestey, head of rehabilitation department of Adonis medical clinic network.
“We can observe a noticeable imbalance between the number of physical rehabilitation centers that have opened over the last year and the number of experienced specialists who can provide quality assistance to the injured”, – he told Interfax-Ukraine.
At the same time, according to Kerestei, “the medical system of Ukraine does not currently have sufficient capacity to provide comprehensive rehabilitation services.”
“The heavy load on the entire medical system of Ukraine, the lack of the necessary number of experienced specialists and specialized centers make it impossible to provide harmonious and versatile rehabilitation care wherever it is needed,” he said.
The expert noted that “the state catastrophically lacks physically enough doctors of rehabilitation medicine: physical therapists and occupational therapists.”
“Many, newly opened, rehabilitation centers are critically understaffed with a team of specialized experienced physicians and must create a team from scratch, with specialists who have very little clinical experience, which consequently affects the quality of patient care,” he said.
At the same time, the expert noted that “the state medical system is changing very rapidly and actively adapting.
“This allows us to say that in the near future we will be able to do everything for the quality and comprehensive recovery of patients who suffered as a result of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine,” he said.
“An option for cooperation between the state and private rehabilitation centers could be the following scenario: since private medical centers already have excellent conditions for comprehensive and effective rehabilitation of victims, the state should guarantee 100% compensation to patients for rehabilitation costs in such medical institutions,” Kerestei believes.
The expert noted that such cooperation may be beneficial for the state due to the specifics of rehabilitation: many state rehabilitation centers cannot provide effective help and there will be a need to undergo repeated courses of treatment several times.
At the same time, according to Kerestei, in private medical centers “after the first cycle, the patient will have significantly better results or even will fully recover and be able to return to normal social life.
Commenting on Adonis’ place in the national rehabilitation system, Kerestay pointed out that the network of medical centers has been working with wounded warriors for more than 15 months.
He reported that Adonis has had “a vivid experience working with charitable foundations and private donors”.
Kerestey stressed that “rehabilitation is an individual and long-term process.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t talk about a specific price range. The cost of rehabilitation depends on the severity of the injury, the accompanying schedules, and the speed and quality of primary care,” he said.
Commenting on the development of prosthetics in Ukraine, Kerestey noted that “the situation in the state medical system is much better in this regard.”
“Now all prosthetics procedures take place at state expense. But providing a prosthesis is only half the success. The victim must first be prepared for the prosthetics procedure (surgeons, prosthetists and rehabilitologists work with him at this stage), and once the prosthesis is fitted, the difficult stage of patient adaptation to using the device begins and this process is impossible without the participation of an experienced rehabilitator,” he said.
