Еволюція та питання вдосконалення законодавства України з фізичної терапії та соціальної реабілітації

The article examines the chronology of formation of special legislation of Ukraine regulating public relations in the field of physical therapy, rehabilitation in the healthcare sector and social rehabilitation. Based on the historical and legal analysis, the author proposes to divide the process of development of this branch of legislation into four main stages. At the first stage (1991-2002), the Law “On the Fundamentals of Social Protection of Disabled Persons in the Ukrainian SSR” was adopted, the text of which mentions such types of rehabilitation as medical, social, labour and professional, but does not provide definitions of these concepts. The second stage (2003-2014) was characterised by further development of legislation on various types of rehabilitation for persons with disabilities and other categories of people in difficult life circumstances. During this period, the Laws of Ukraine ‘On Social Services’ and ‘On Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons in Ukraine’ were adopted, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified. At the third stage (2015-2019), the relevant resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and orders of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine regulated the issues of education and qualification characteristics for the positions of rehabilitation specialists. The fourth stage (starting in 2020) begins with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Rehabilitation in Healthcare’ on 3 December 2020. In this regard, the necessary amendments were made to the Law of Ukraine ‘Fundamentals of the Legislation of Ukraine on Health Care’. It is shown that, taking into account the emergence of various socio-economic factors, the legislation in the field of rehabilitation is constantly updated. The author emphasises that at this stage, the issue of providing rehabilitation care to adults and children on an outpatient basis and in a hospital setting under the programme of state medical guarantees was regulated. Payment for the provision of these rehabilitation services is made by the National Health Service of Ukraine. It is emphasised that this step is an essential tool for increasing the financial accessibility of rehabilitation care to the population. The author highlights the shortcomings and gaps in the legal acts defining the rights, duties and responsibilities of rehabilitation professionals and makes proposals for improving the legislation in this area.