The Ministry of Health stated that the media had misinterpreted the news about changes to the provision of home medical care.
According to the ministry's press service, in response to numerous citizen complaints about long waits for emergency ambulances, the ministry proposed solutions to improve the situation.
"The results of the analysis showed that more than 50% of calls fall into the fourth category of urgency, which implies the care of patients with chronic diseases who are under the supervision of primary healthcare organisations (PHC), including polyclinics," the Ministry of Health stated.
It was reported that, in this regard, the ministry has developed a draft amendment to the Standard for the Provision of Primary Healthcare and the Rules for the Provision of Emergency Medical Care.
It is noted that the changes do not imply the cancellation of home care services; on the contrary, they are aimed at improving the accessibility and quality of medical services.
"The items concerning the registration of home doctor visits and the organisation of home hospitals have been moved to another section of the draft to improve the document's structure; however, they remain in effect. PHC medical workers will continue to provide home care under the previous standard," the statement reads.
Earlier, information circulated online that the emergency ambulance service might stop responding to fourth-category calls around the clock due to a lack of funds. It was reported that mobile teams would attend to fourth-category cases during their working hours — from 8:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 12:00 on Saturdays.