Official Protects his Billions nearby Verkhovna Rada

 Today, in the framework of ‘Deputy-altruist’ campaign, the activists gathered nearby the Verkhovna Rada have proposed to give away 1 billion hryvnias (125 million USD), or the third part of the sum annually assigned for sanatorium-and-spa treatment of state officials, to fatally diseased Ukrainians. A person worn business suit of an official tried to protect the billions of artificial hryvnias from fatally diseased patients by trundling them on a handcart in front of the Rada.

“Stop hurling around empty promises about refusing from your deputy privileges”, asserts Dmytro Sherembey, an HIV positive, the Head of the Advisory Board of Communities on access to treatment in Ukraine. “Today we have passed to deputies letters from our patients saying to publicly refuse from one third of medical expenses assigned for them and officially affix their signatures under such refusal. Then the Ministry of Finance will have chance to assign this money in next year budget for treatment of hepatitis, tuberculosis and AIDS and therefore stop these epidemics in Ukraine. Such altruistic act can reveal to the best way those of people’s elected representatives who cares about the destiny of people in need for the help and make a choice between the sanatorium vacation for officials and life of thousands of diseased Ukrainians”.

Based on the State Budget 2012, UAH 2.6 billions have been assigned for treatment and sanatorium-and-spa recreation of departments of the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet, the President’s Administration, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense.

Approximately the same sum of money is received by the Ministry of Healthcare for the rest of other Ukrainians all over the general state medical establishments (hospitals, polyclinics, medical centers, and first-aid stations) – UAH 2.