Background: The paper presents the results of community consultations about the health needs and healthcare experiences of the population of Ukraine. The objective of community consultations is to engage a community in which a research project is studying, and to gauge feedback, criticism and suggestions. It is designed to seek advice or information from participants directly affected by the study subject of interest. The purpose of this study was to collect first-hand perceptions about daily life, health concerns and experiences with the healthcare system. This study provides policy-makers with additional evidence to ensure that health reforms would include a focus not only on health system changes but also social determinants of health (SDH). Methods: The data collection consisted of the 21 community consultations conducted in 2012 in eleven regions of Ukraine in a mix of urban and rural settings. The qualitative data was coded in MAXQDA 11 software and thematic analysis was used as a method of summarizing and interpreting the results. Results: The key findings of this study point out the importance of the SDH in the lives of Ukrainians and how the residents of Ukraine perceive that health inequities and premature mortality are shaped by the circumstances of their daily lives, such as: political and economic instability, environmental pollution, low wages, poor diet, insufficient physical activity, and unsatisfactory state of public services. Study participants repeatedly discussed these conditions as the reasons for the perceived health crisis in Ukraine. The dilapidated state of the healthcare system was discussed as well; high out-of-pocket (OOP) payments and lack of trust in doctors appeared as significant barriers in accessing healthcare services. Additionally, the consultations highlighted the economic and health gaps between residents of rural and urban areas, naming rural populations among the most vulnerable social groups in Ukraine. Conclusion: The study concludes that any meaningful reforms of the health sector in Ukraine must include a broad range of factors, including the healthcare system but importantly, must extend to SDH approach and include the prioritization of health promotion, limiting alcohol and tobacco availability and enforcing environmental protection.

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This entry on the health system in Ukraine will discuss the critical condition of health and health care in the country. Ukraine is in transition and in dire need of reforming its health care delivery system, which still utilizes the highly inefficient Soviet model focused on secondary rather than primary care. International organizations recommend that Ukraine introduces a primary care model to tackle the mortality and morbidity crisis in the country. The government of Ukraine has recently announced the priority it places on improving health outcomes for the population and has launched the first broad‐scale reform, which has been piloted in four regions since the spring of 2012. The success of the reform will depend on the extent to which a new model is advanced that is consistent with a primary care model of health care delivery, is able to address the specific needs of the population, and prioritizes the social determinants of Ukrainian health through new health and health‐related policy strategies and priorities.

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