"Paper Army": Why the Ukrainian military complain about the VLK and what will change with new laws

I was in a coma and recovered in a hospital in the Dnieper. After me, I was transported to Lviv hospital and from there to Mukachevo for treatment. When I was allowed to be able to transfer to the hospital closer To my house, and the first problems began here, " - says the focus of the Ukrainian military, who agreed to talk on the conditions of anonymity.

When transferring a wounded soldier from one hospital to another, a certificate is needed in which the Military Medical Commission (VLK) concludes: the circumstances of the injury are related to the protection of the Motherland. But before drawing such a conclusion, under the law, the commission must conduct an investigation, it has a month.

"At the time I asked home for treatment, it has already passed for more than a month, and the investigation did not even start," the serviceman continued, "I had to go through the VLK - literally passing, despite the fact that the wounded leg was still not healed.

" In a conversation with focus, the military raises the question: if the fighters with injuries are constantly being treated in the hospital, why do the doctors themselves cannot hold a commission while men are in the ward? Without a hand, without a leg, lying - all wounded military should collect the necessary certificates, make copies, and if some paper is not enough, then you have to prove that you were injured in battle.

"As a result, I get the necessary translation and record for rehabilitation, but I am immediately told that the payment of the hospital period will be only two months, and the third - rehabilitation - does not take into account, they say, there are some documentary gaps, - says the fighter and gives an example The stories of his friend: he was on treatment for four months, after which blood contamination began, the leg had to be amputated, and a week later he was discharged.

After writing off the military to the state, payments of 500-700 UAH per month were charged. And as a person without a feet in such In case of rehabilitation, at what expense? " According to him, such unjustified statements - a common phenomenon in hospitals, the commission simply refuses to treat further, while still forcing the military to collect certificates.

"When I was on rehabilitation, I was sent orally to the Medical and Social Expert Commission (MSEC)-they determine whether you lost their performance or not. He did not issue. So you need to go to the hospital again, get this form and return to the MSEC. And this is a paper hell is an endless, "says the Ukrainian defender. He adds that the heads of medical and their deputies "do not know their responsibilities and forms, and this is one of the main problems in the system.

" At the meeting on April 11, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted in favor of the Project of Law 9158 on amendments to the Statute of the Internal Service of the Armed Forces on improving the issues of registration of documents and treatment Health (on the work of military medical commissions).

The purpose of the first bill is to improve the issues of registration of servicemen on the circumstances of injury (injury, injury, injury) both on the results of the relevant investigation (service or special) and without its conduct. Improvement of issues of registration and referral of medical and other documents between military units and health care institutions is also envisaged, according to the explanatory note.

"Thus, the documents will" go "for the military rather than the military will follow the documents. This will help to solve the problems of queues and unnecessary bureaucracy, so that the soldiers who are wounded and treated were not in line Military Medical Commission, "-explained Alexander Zaitnevich, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence.

The second bill supplements the list of health care institutions, where military-medical commissions can be created, health care institutions of the security and defense sector. The possibility of establishing military-medical commissions at state and municipal health care institutions is also provided. Today, May 26, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed both laws.

"The fact that these laws will simplify both the procedure of VLK and clarify the situation with the wounds and diseases of the defenders are a fact. These normative legal acts have long been an urgent need for the military," says Daria Panfilov, lawyer, manager in the commentary of focus Panfilova and partners law firm.

Panfilova explains that these innovations specifically mean: according to the lawyer, problems in the VLK system have arisen because the normative legal acts are somewhat outdated and not adapted to the realities of a full-scale invasion and to the processes of digitalization in the country.

"In particular, the main document enshrining the basics of the Military Medical Commission remains the Regulations on the Military Medical Expertise in the Armed Forces, approved by the Order of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine on 14. 08. 2008 No. 402. The latest changes to this document were made in March 2021. Therefore, it needs essential improvements. NGOs, volunteers, lawyers are constantly working to improve the situation in the field of military medical examination, "-the lawyer said.

-reforming the current legislation, full and comprehensive conduct of military-medical examination and digitalization in this area would provide the best protection These laws are needed. He emphasizes that the bill No. 9154 is primarily aimed at ensuring the constitutional right to health care and exercising public debt, namely the creation of conditions for effective and accessible health care for all citizens. The question is because the topic is very relevant.