How can Ukrainians staying in the UK under one of the three support schemes access medical care and how can they register with a family doctor?

Any Ukrainian who is in the country under one of the three support schemes for Ukrainians has access to healthcare.

The United Kingdom has a National Health Service (NHS) that provides healthcare services to residents of the country.

Most medical services are provided free of charge.

Family doctors are general practitioners.

A general practitioner is the first doctor you can contact at a healthcare facility.

To receive medical care, you need to register with a general practitioner.

A general practitioner may:

o  provide medical advice;

o  make a diagnosis and prescribe medication;

o  If necessary, refer a patient to a hospital for highly specialised medical services.

To register with a family doctor:

o  find a family doctor;

You can find a general practitioner near where you live in England via this link. In Northern Ireland via this link; in Scotland via this link; in Wales via this link;

o  find out how to register.

Check the general practice's website to see if you can register online, or call or email your general practitioner's office and ask to be registered as a patient.

A similar registration procedure is provided in Scotland (find a doctor, fill out a registration form, send the registration form to the doctor); Northern Ireland (find the nearest Health Service and ask on the spot whether the clinic serves new patients from your place of residence, then bring your medical records and fill out a registration form. It is possible to make an appointment with a specific doctor); Wales (fill in the registration form and send it to the healthcare facility.

If you have an accident that requires immediate medical attention, you have to go to the nearest hospital with a 24-hour emergency department.

In case of emergency, you can call an ambulance by dialing 999.

You can also call 111 for advice on a medical problem.

Maternity care is free of charge, organised by your family doctor and lasts during pregnancy and after the birth of your baby, i.e. until the time of discharge.

You can receive a one-off payment of £500 to cover the costs of having a baby under the Sure Start programme.

As a person who has travelled to the UK from Ukraine, you are eligible for this payment if you have a child or children who were born before you arrived in the UK and one of the following conditions is met:

o  you have refugee status or humanitarian protection;

o  you were living in Ukraine just before 1 January 2022 and left because of the Russian invasion that took place on 24 February 2022.

To receive assistance, you have to print out and fill in the application form. You will also need to provide a certificate of pregnancy or childbirth from a medical professional. Then you should send the application form together with the certificate of pregnancy or childbirth to the address "Freepost DWP SSMG".

You can apply for the benefit from 11 weeks before the week when your child is due to be born.

The maximum time limit for applying is 6 months after the birth of your child.

If you live in Scotland, you can get maternity benefits.

Under their programme, you have the opportunity to receive maternity benefit and food allowance at the same time by filling in one form.

For more information, please contact the Mother's Action Charitable Foundation at 0808 800 0041.

The Mother's Action Charitable Foundation protects the rights of all pregnant women, young mothers and their families to employment, social security and healthcare. Website: https://maternityaction.org.uk/maternity-care-access-advice-service/#

Patients with rare or serious diseases (HIV, diabetes, cancer, etc.) or suspected of having such diseases should contact their general practitioner.

The doctor will prescribe the necessary tests and examinations and refer you to a specialist, where you will receive advice and information about further treatment. The specialist to whom you are referred depends on the specific diagnosis.

With a doctor's prescription, further consultation and treatment are free of charge. Prescription medicines can be obtained free of charge or with a certain co-payment, and you do not need to pay extra for medicines during inpatient treatment.

If you have a rare or severe disease, there may be exceptions. Therefore, you should consult your doctor about possible treatment options and payment for them.

Important!

You need to consult directly with your doctor at each stage of treatment to find out information about the fees for specific services and special programmes for Ukrainians.