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 His clinic in the village of Ivankovichy, 35 kilometers outside
Kiev, uses Soviet-era medical equipment and lacks basic supplies.
Life expectancy in Ukraine is on average five years shorter than the
European average, according to the World Health Organization.
Rozumiy, 51, has worked as a general practitioner since 2014. Before
that, he worked as a cancer surgeon but he gave up because budget
cuts were causing late diagnoses and leading to lower survival
rates.
His current patients are mostly children and pensioners. Many
working age adults choose not to be treated because they often
cannot afford the medicines that are available.
Recently, Rozumiy said he has seen some improvements since the start
of a Western-backed reform drive.
"There's a desperate need," he said, expressing a hope for faster
change. Patchy implementation of the reform drive has raised
questions about Ukraine's ability to modernize after a pro-European
uprising in 2013-2014.
Last October, parliament approved a long-delayed overhaul of the
health system following international pressure to speed up reform.
"I hope ... this will give us a chance but if this turns out to be
yet another bluff, well then we'll lose everything," Rozumiy said.
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He said recent positive changes include the launch of programs to
improve treatment for military veterans and help pensioners gain
access to certain medicines.
But times remain tough, forcing Rozumiy to consider halting some
home visits as he cannot afford the petrol costs for his car on a
salary of around 6000 hryvnias ($230) per month.
His clinic's decrepit central heating system occasionally fails in
the middle of winter, prompting parents to keep their children
bundled up in snow-suits during consultations.
Ivankovichy is far from unique. Hospitals across the country of 42
million are crumbling, underpayment of medical staff has prompted
many to quit and Ukraine's vaccination rate is one of the worst in
Europe.
(Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Tom Balmforth)
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