Ukraine: action against closing of hospitals

On March 1, 2011 Free Trade Union of Medical Workers of Ukraine (FTUMWU), affiliated to the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine, organized and held a protest action in Lviv and other cities of Western Ukraine (Khodoriv, Zhydachiv, Boryslav, Drohobych and Yavoriv) against closing hospitals and reducing the funding of the medical industry.
Union of Taxi drivers joined protest action showing its solidarity and full support. The action’s participants distributed campaign materials and other awareness-raising information to appeal to the citizens to support workers of medical institutions.

The protesters didn’t leave their working places and continuously treated patients. They just put badges on their hospital gowns with written words on them: “NO to fake reforms and seedy funding!” They also put banners on the walls inside the medical institutions.
“Our action was a warning to local authorities and for Cabinet of Ministers”, - said Oleg Panasenko, FTUMWU President. While putting pressure on the medical workers, management of the hospitals tried not to allow the action to be held but our unionists succeeded to do it in a good and smart way.
Among the main demands of the protesters were to keep existing medical centers, to increase salary of medical employees as well as to increase the funding of the medical industry in general.
To introduce a national medical insurance system was also a demand from the action activists.
Free Trade Union of Medical Workers of Ukraine is preparing for a protest action to be held at national level, focusing mainly to the regions where its primary unions are most concentrated.

/KVPU