OPPOSITION PLATFORM – FOR LIFE MP Serhiy Lovochkin demands that the government strengthens social protection for persons affected by the Chornobyl disaster and provides complete and timely funding of benefits for the group’s members and their families. Lovochkin wrote this in his parliamentary inquiry to PM Denys Shmyhal.

“I request immediate measures that will include the following: provide complete and timely funding of benefits for Chornobyl veterans and their families; restore special budget programs for cancer treatment of Chornobyl veterans; preserve state healthcare facilities for Chornobyl veterans and restore their funding in full volume needed for treatment and rehabilitation; organize consistent coverage of Chornobyl welfare recipients with free medicines, including those for COVID-19 treatment and prevention. Please inform me about the introduced measures within period provided by the law,” the inquiry reads.

Lovochkin reminded that in December 2019 he did inform the government about unacceptability of lowering social guarantees and protection level for Chornobyl liquidators and those affected by the disaster.

“But the Cabinet of Ministers never took any steps that could have changed the situation significantly. This has further aggravated the problem of Chornobyl veterans’ social vulnerability,” the MP said.

According to him, the key reason behind this negative trend is the Cabinet’s dramatic cut in governmental funding of Chornobyl-related social welfare programs.

“The government fails to provide complete and timely funding even of this relatively small amount needed for covering of the Chornobyl welfare programs that have been preserved until now,” Lovochkin said.

He reminded that OP – FL Party had restored social benefits for Chornobyl liquidators through the Constitutional Court, but the government has ignored the ruling.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that former and current Cabinets blatantly ignore the ruling of the Constitutional court that forces the Cabinet of Ministers to fully restore all social welfare and guarantees that Chornobyl veterans had been deprived of in December 2014,” the MP summed up.