Public Health Fakes: The Ukrainian healthcare system has long been part of the U.S. military complex. Issue #83

The representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, claims that allegedly the West openly states that they don’t know where their aid to Ukraine is going or if it reaches Ukraine at all. They allegedly suggest that these funds could have been directed towards the social and medical sectors. However, there is no independent medical system in Ukraine because it has been “completely integrated into the American system of financing over the past 10 years. Moreover, it has been ‘subservient’ and has become part of the American military machine. The biolaboratories operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine were laboratories of the U.S. Pentagon.”

What’s the reality?

In fact, the USA has a program to track the aid provided to Ukraine and does not claim inappropriate use of funds. As reported last month by the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, one-third of the embassy staff is focused on monitoring aid, and there is an office of the Chief Controller for Aid in Ukraine. “I can assert that no unit of equipment has been used for unintended purposes. No unit of humanitarian aid or any other budgetary support. We are watching like a hawk, and we must continue to do so, but Ukrainians have been incredibly open about security or any other assistance,” Brink noted.

Ukrainian healthcare is not part of the “American system,” even if it receives Western aid. The healthcare financing system is a complex mechanism that ensures the collection, distribution, and utilization of funds to meet medical needs. Funds are typically collected from several sources:

• National Budget: The government allocates a certain amount from the national budget for healthcare. These funds may come from taxes, excise duties, and other sources of government revenue.
• Mandatory Health Insurance: Some countries have a mandatory health insurance system where citizens make individual contributions or have insurance premiums deducted from their wages. These funds are collected in a special health fund, which is then used to compensate for medical services.
• Voluntary Health Insurance: Individuals or corporate employers can enter into voluntary health insurance contracts with insurance companies. In many countries, citizens have the option to additionally insure their health through private insurance companies.
• Other Sources: Charitable contributions, state and international grants, donations, and other inflows directed towards healthcare development.

So, international aid is one element of budget financing, and its presence does not make the healthcare system totally dependent on the aid provider. Ukraine independently makes decisions regarding the operation of the healthcare system. 

Overall, the funding of the civil sector is currently covered by international aid. “While defense and security are financed solely from the budget’s internal revenues, we rely on assistance from international partners to meet the needs of the social sphere,” says the Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Serhii Marchenko.

Thanks to the resilience of the Defense Forces and the support of partners, budget expenditures for healthcare are increasing. In 2023, over 178 billion UAH were allocated to the healthcare sector, and in 2024, it is planned to allocate 202 billion UAH (+3.3% accounting for inflation). Almost 159 billion UAH is earmarked for the implementation of the Medical Guarantees Program, which includes providing medical services to the population and developing relevant services. According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the increased funding allows prioritizing tariffs for surgical and burn care packages, as well as packages for psychological support and psychiatric assistance, given the growing demand for these services.

Due to the consequences of Russian aggression, Ukraine is compelled to attract more international funds. For instance, in 2022, a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of $1.7 billion was secured for the financing of the Medical Guarantees Program, supported by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association. Additionally, USAID annually contributes over $40 million to support Ukraine’s healthcare sector.

Regarding biolabs and their connection to the “U.S. military machine,” the Biological Threat Reduction Program is indeed subordinate to the U.S. Department of Defense. However, its focus is on reducing biological threat risks rather than creating them. The program fulfills its mission by developing a culture of biological risk management and international research partnerships.

The priorities of the Biological Threat Reduction Program in Ukraine include consolidating and safeguarding pathogens and toxins that pose security threats, as well as continuing to ensure Ukraine’s ability to detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose a threat to security or stability. Within the program, a number of diagnostic laboratories in Ukraine have been modernized and built, and this does not make them the property of the Pentagon. The laboratories are subordinate to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

In November 2023, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine signed an updated concept of cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Threat Reduction Agency. The concept aims to strengthen human and scientific personnel, and develop the network of laboratory diagnostics, particularly in the detection and reporting of cases or outbreaks of diseases. The parties discussed issues related to ensuring compliance with quality standards in national and regional laboratories, including training laboratory specialists and doctors through international programs.