Recently, human rights defenders of both cities held meetings with state and local authorities.

The purpose of cooperation is the coordination in order to improve the process of informing ATO participants and their families regarding rehabilitation and medical services. The work took place within the action plan of the Ukrainian educational program “We Understand Human Rights.”

‘Through awareness-building work with ATO participants, NGOs of Cherkasy, Chernihiv, and Uzhhorod had found a sad trend that ATO participants after their returning back home do not take care of  their health, they do not pass examinations and treatments. In turn, not-received treatment and failure to pass rehabilitation eventually lead to poor health, expressions of irritation, frustration and psychological state, respectively, loss of faith in the future,’ said Taras Shcherbatiuk, head of “Cherkasky Human Rights Protection Center “.

In the results of the work meetings concerning the medical support of ATO participants between human rights defenders and authorities in Uzhhorod and Cherkasy, the parties agreed on the need to disseminate and update information on medical services on the web sites of city councils. Particularly, explanation of the mechanism of free medicines, treatment, sanatorium therapy vouchers and more will be published.

‘Communication between NGOs and the authorities improves; accordingly, we expect that the process of informing about the health rights of ATO participants and their families will be effective’, said Yurii Opalenyk, a lawyer of “Zakarpattia community.”

The mini-project “ATO participants’ and their families’ access to health care ” is implemented by NGO “Cherkasky Human Rights Protection Center” in partnership with NGO “MART” and NGO “Zakarpattia community” within the project “Active civil action to overcome the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.” The public association “Education Human Rights House – Chernihiv” with the assistance of National Endowment for Democracy (NED) implement the project.

The views of those, who developed and is implementing the mini-project do not necessarily reflect the official position of the public association “Education Human Rights House – Chernihiv” and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Press Service of the NGO “Zakarpattia community.”