Over 300 foreign doctors officially working in Ukraine - health minister

MOSCOW. June 15 (Interfax) - As many as 331 foreign doctors officially employed and registered with the Ukrainian Health Ministry are working in Ukraine now, Ukrainian media quoted Health Minister Viktor Lyashko as saying during a TV marathon on the 1+1 channel on Wednesday.

The number of foreign healthcare professionals de facto working in Ukraine is even larger, but not all of them have been officially registered with the Health Ministry, he said.

On the other hand, 2,273 medical specialists have left Ukraine, according to official data, which makes about 0.5% of the entire medical staff in the country, Lyashko said.

"There were about 143,000 doctors and 261,000 paramedics in Ukraine before February 24. According to our registers, 2,273 medical workers, including doctors and registered nurses and exclusive of nursing assistants, have departed Ukraine," he said.

The number of healthcare professionals who have left Ukraine has not affected the availability of medical aid and medical services in the country, he said.