The government introduces free housing for doctors in villages: who will receive apartments.

State program for medical workers in rural communities

The government has launched a new initiative aimed at attracting doctors and other medical professionals to rural areas. The program provides for the provision of free official housing for medical workers who take positions in municipal medical institutions on priority posts. Funding for the purchase of apartments or houses will be carried out from the state budget, and priority will be determined based on data from the Unified Web Portal of job vacancies in the healthcare sector.

The Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko noted: 'During visits to hospitals and communities, I often heard requests for help with providing housing for doctors coming to work in rural areas. In response, the government is introducing incentives for medical professionals, such as official housing for those who choose to work in rural communities.'

Currently, there are 980 vacancies in rural medical establishments, of which 798 are for doctors. Most vacancies have remained unfilled for over three months. The largest staff shortages are observed in the Odesa, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Volyn, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Program conditions for participants

Citizens of Ukraine under the age of 50 who move to work in rural municipal medical institutions can apply for free official housing. It is also important that the vacancy for which the medical worker is employed has been open for at least 90 days and the specialist has worked at the institution for no more than 120 days at the time of application. The employee or their family must not own housing within a 30 km radius of the workplace at the time of application.

Application review process and expected results

After selecting housing, the employee submits an application to the medical institution. The documents are checked by the administration and then sent to the Ministry of Health for the conclusion of a purchase agreement with budget funds. With a positive decision, the housing is transferred for the use of the medical worker during their tenure.

This initiative aims to improve access to medical care for remote residents and attract young specialists to rural areas, which will contribute to the improvement of the healthcare system locally.