Three committees are today in focus:

Committee on Public Health

Committee on Public Health held “a round table” on the topic “Psychological Rehabilitation and Psychiatric Assistance to ATO Participants. Ways to Reduce Suicide among soldiers and demobilized from the ATO area”

The meeting was attended by MPs, representatives of ministries of social policy, defense, internal affairs, public health, the State Emergency Service, the Ukrainian Research Institute of Social and Forensic Psychiatry and Narcology of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Ukrainian State Medical and Social Center for War Veterans, regional hospitals for veterans of war, regional centers of assistance to ATO participants and the public.

During the meeting “the Clinical Guide of the US Department of State for Veterans and the US Department of Defense on the treatment of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)” was presented with the participation of international expert Frank Pucelik.

The Head of the Committee Olha Bohomolets said at the beginning of the meeting  “the war in Ukraine actualized the problem of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The extraordinary emotional strains in the combat zone involving physical injuries, loss of fellows, sleep deprivation, mismatching expectations of the military on return, has led to an increase in the number of soldiers with post-traumatic mental disorders that require timely and effective treatment and rehabilitation assistance”.

The results of international studies indicate that the prevalence of PTSD among those who were in the combat zone (both military and peaceful residents) reaches 15-20%. According to official data, there are more than 350 thousand of demobilized ATO soldiers in Ukraine, 90% of them need comprehensive rehabilitation.

In the course of “the round table” the data from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine was given, according to which the number of soldiers (ATO participants) at the end of 2015 with PTSD amounted to 814 people (24.5% of the total population of PTSD). The number of soldiers (ATO participants) that were under oversight by the end of 2016 with PTSD increased to 32.6% of the total population with PTSD. Among 1102 people who were overseen by the end of 2016 with PTSD, the number of women was 6 persons (0.54%), men - 1096 or 99.46%, the number of rural residents - 412 people or 37.4%.

Ukrainian Research Institute of Social and Forensic Psychiatry and Narcology of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine is conducting a study of suicidal behaviour  of ATO participants on the basis of data obtained from criminal proceedings, starting from May 1, 2015. This institution received 110 questionnaires “Characteristics of Suicidal Behaviour of ATO Participant”, which is an appendix to the criminal proceedings (100 completed and 10 - incomplete suicides, including one woman). Nearly 85% of suicides are committed by ATO participants under the age of 40, most of whom are persons under 30 years old (45.5% of all). One of the most significant factors associated with suicide was the “state of alcohol or drug intoxication during suicide”. It was recorded in 51% of felones-de-se. Among the mechanisms of suicide, wounds from firearms (61%) and hanging (31%) are considerably more prevalent.

The participants of “the round table” presented thematic speeches on psychological rehabilitation and psychiatric assistance to ATO participants, ways of reducing the level of suicides among soldiers and demobilized from the ATO zone: the experience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine; psychiatric assistance to ATO participants in 2015-2016, provided a description of suicidal behaviour according to the materials of criminal proceedings (2015-2017).

During the meeting, the issues of psychological protection of the population were discussed, as well as practical experience of the complex rehabilitation of the demobilized ATO participants in the network of the war veterans' hospitals, including the experience of medical, psychological, psychiatric and rehabilitation assistance to ATO participants in Vinnytsia and Kirovograd regions.

The participants of the meeting discussed issues related to the Concept of the State Target Program on Physical, Medical, Psychological Rehabilitation and Social and Professional Re-Adaptation of Anti-Terrorist Operation participants that was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers for the period until 2022, and the state of the draft development of specified State Target Program. According to medical experts, the approved Concept is only a fragmentary solution to the problem and demonstrates the lack of normative consolidation of a holistic, integrated vision of the direction of mental health reform and indicators of the effectiveness of changes.

The task of state bodies is to create optimal conditions for the health of Ukrainians and to ensure the availability of medical care, in particular, a specialized psychiatric and psychological support. That is, a balanced self-sufficient health care system should be created, working mechanisms that will help the state to perform its social function in a qualitative way are proposed.

As a result of “the round table”, the participants of the meeting reached a consensus agreement on the need to develop and approve the National Mental Health Programme in Ukraine, which would allow creating a holistic and effective system of mental health care.

Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety

Oleksandr Dombrovskyi: “The implementation of the law on the electricity market will enable it to overcome the monopoly and build an entirely new energy model”

Oleksandr Dombrovskyi, the First Deputy Head of the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety took part in the first meeting of the Coordination Center for ensuring the introduction of a new electricity market.

During his speech Oleksandr Dombrovskyi identified the main goal and philosophy of the introduction of a new electricity market: “We put the ordinary Ukrainian in the center of the Law of Ukraine “On the Electricity Market of Ukraine”. The implementation of this law should enable to overcome the monopoly and build a completely new energy model. Electricity for Ukrainians should be affordable, high-quality and cheap”. He noted that “the introduction of a new electricity market - this is not a reform for reform, or for redistribution of the market in the amount of 150 billion UAH; this reform is for the sake of every Ukrainian”. “This reform aims to ensure every Ukrainian with free access to cheap and high-quality electrical energy in a competitive market”, - added a parliamentarian.

The First Deputy Head of the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety also explained the content and essence of the work of the Coordination Center: “A large number of measures and adoption of relevant regulatory acts on the introduction of a new market model will require the coordination and consolidation of efforts of all major participants in this process, attracting the best domestic and European specialists in the industry, who have extensive experience in this field. We must not repeat the mistakes that other countries have already made in the reform of the electricity market. Therefore, the Coordination Center should become the body that will take responsibility for the introduction of a new model of the electricity market”.

In addition, Oleksandr Dombrovskyi stressed the need for active involvement of European partners and international organizations in the work of the Coordination Center. At the first meeting of the Coordination center for ensuring the introduction of a new market for electric energy, the personal composition of the Coordination Center and the rules of its work were approved.

Certificate. On August 9, 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers Decree № 599 established the Coordination Center for ensuring the introduction of a new market for electric energy. The Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Kistion is the Head of the Coordination Center for ensuring the introduction of a new electricity market, Co-Chairman is Oleksandr Dombrovskyi, the First Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety. The Vice Presidents of the Coordination Center are the head of the NKRECP Dmytro Vovk and the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Ihor Nasalyk.

Committee on Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship

Viktor Halasiuk: “After the Verkhovna Rada introduces a moratorium on roundwood exports, capital investment in the sector has more than doubled in the first half of the year”

The Head of the Committee on Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship Viktor Halasiuk said that the moratorium on roundwood exports, worked on all types of wood from January 1, 2017, contributed to an increase in capital investment in the industry more than twice.

“Only in the first half of 2017, capital investment in the industry more than doubled, reaching over 3 billion UAH, while furniture exports increased by 30-40% in dollar terms. Also, the tax revenues to the State Budget have significantly increased”, - stated Viktor Halasiuk. He stressed that the moratorium complies both with the WTO Agreement and the Association Agreement with the EU.