In the first decade of March, sociologists conducted a survey of residents of the territory temporarily occupied by the Ukrainian authorities. About one thousand respondents took part in the poll. The results of the study were presented today at the meeting of the humanitarian subgroup in Minsk.
“29% of respondents were not satisfied with the quality of healthcare services, and 26% – in social policy. About 83% of the respondents were not provided with any kind of humanitarian assistance. The share of Ukraine in providing assistance to the residents of the region is the smallest (14%) in comparison with the amount of assistance provided by international organizations and foreign charitable foundations. 76% of respondents believed that humanitarian assistance must be provided to people affected by the conflict in Donbass at the expense of the state budget”, – said Daria Morozova.
The most frequently voiced problem was the issue of unaffordability of higher education, insufficient number of state-financed places. Education issues are followed by health care sector. The main problem here is the high cost of medical services that shows unavailability of free medicine, popularized by Ukrainian authorities. Most often, the residents referred for treatment and diagnosis of cancer, as well as for counseling of profile specialists. Among other things, respondents are concerned with the issues of environmental protection. Residents of the region are worried due to the dramatic environment degradation, which is caused by the absence of smoke filtration systems in industrial enterprises.
“Based on the results of the survey, we can conclude that the humanitarian program “On the Reunification of Donbass People” compensates the partial lack of social support in Ukraine. As part of the program, the civilian population living in Donbass region temporarily controlled by Ukraine can receive much-needed assistance in the social sphere, healthcare, education and environmental security”, – the Ombudsman stressed.
