Ophthalmology

• International Visegrad Fund financed the project dedicated to ophthalmology in V4 countries and Ukraine. The main goal of this project, CEE HPN executive director Peter Pazitny took part in, was to examine access to healthcare services in the context of financing mechanisms.

• After +18 months of collaboration between the team from Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Ukraine a report on good practices in financing healthcare services in ophthalmology was published in June 2023. The full report with infographics is available here.

• Overall, findings suggest there in no good practice in financing that would result in increasing access to all ophthalmology services. In fact, there are various areas where the cataract, glaucoma, vitrectomy, age-related macular degeneration of the eye, diabetic macular edema, and corneal transplant treatments in Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia can be improved; financing being just one of them. Other improvements can be adopted in quality control systems, reimbursement revisions, early detection measures, and utilization of advanced technologies. 

• Ukraine can learn from the Visegrad countries' experiences, especially in areas such as financing mechanisms, coverage of treatments, diagnostic screenings, and improving the quality and accessibility of ophthalmic surgeries. Implementation of these practices would require careful consideration of Ukraine's specific healthcare system and legal framework.