10 September 2026, 18:23
In Odessa, patients are unable to obtain cancer medications on time
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A line at the pharmacy PHOTO: screenshot from a video
There is funding for cancer medications in Odesa, but it has not been easy for cancer patients to obtain them—at a city council committee meeting, council members complained about long lines and a confusing procedure for dispensing medications.
This was discussed at a meeting of the Odessa City Council’s Health Care Committee.
Levon Nikoghosyan, a council member from the "Trust the Deeds" party, Levon Nikoghosyan, reported that he had received a response from the Department of Health stating that 15 million 414 thousand hryvnias had been allocated for the purchase of cancer drugs in the first half of 2026.
“If there’s money and we have everything, why are there lines for this drug—whether at pharmacies or elsewhere? I don’t understand how this drug is currently being dispensed and why our citizens, who need to receive it on time, aren’t getting it,” the council member noted.
He also pointed out that previously, patients received the medication directly in the chemotherapy department of City Hospital No. 10, but the procedure has recently been changed.
“The Department of Health has changed this procedure, and patients are no longer receiving this drug at City Hospital No. 10. They are supposed to get it somewhere—either at pharmacies or somewhere else—I’m not sure where,” he added.
Committee Chair Oleksiy Yeremitsa agreed with the deputy.
“I really don’t understand why this has to be done—that’s why we established the department there in the first place. At City Hospital No. 10, we should continue to follow that approach,” he noted.
Iryna Kutsenko, a deputy and member of the commission, explained that, according to the department’s response, nine patients with lung cancer were provided with the medication under the program, while one patient with the same diagnosis was denied.
“I ask that this situation be investigated—to determine why this person was denied—and that his application be reviewed,” she stated.
Since the head of the Department of Health was absent from the meeting, Yeremitsa proposed discussing all the issues at a separate meeting this week.
