Ukrainian Minister of Health Viktor Liashko stated in a Facebook post that the vast majority of medical workers in the country are already using artificial intelligence tools in their daily practice. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, 80.5% of surveyed medics confirmed that they apply AI in their work. At the same time, as the head of the agency emphasized, comprehensive legislative regulation for the use of medical artificial intelligence systems does not yet exist in Ukraine, and the ministry is actively working on a corresponding bill that will be submitted for public discussion in the near future.
Scale of the Survey: Thousands of Medics, Patients, and Businesses
The survey, the results of which were announced by Liashko, involved more than 7,000 medical workers, 300 patients, and 39 representatives of businesses and specialized organizations. According to the ministry's design, this composition of respondents allowed gathering data not only on how AI is perceived by doctors and nurses, but also on how the technology is evaluated by patients themselves and how its implementation is viewed by commercial structures developing medical AI solutions. The result — 80.5% of medics already using AI — indicates that the digitalization of healthcare in Ukraine is proceeding at an accelerated pace, significantly outpacing the regulatory formalization of this process.
CheckEye: From Retina Image to Diagnosis in 30 Seconds
As a specific example of Ukrainian AI development in medicine, the minister cited the CheckEye system. This is a software solution that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze retinal images and in about 30 seconds helps determine whether a patient needs additional examination. The technology has already been tested in primary healthcare institutions of Odesa and Chernihiv oblasts, where 873 patients were examined during the pilot phase. Such cases, according to the Ministry of Health's logic, demonstrate that Ukrainian developers are capable of creating competitive medical AI tools that realistically integrate into the clinical process at the primary care level.
The Bill: Risk Classification, Safety, and Responsibility
Liashko outlined the main provisions of the future bill. The agency proposes introducing clear rules for the development and use of medical AI systems, as well as their classification by risk level. The document should separately enshrine requirements for safety, transparency, and responsibility of both AI solution providers and their users — medical institutions and specialists. The minister emphasized that the use of AI in medicine must be controlled by qualified medical specialists: the algorithm does not replace the doctor, but acts as an auxiliary tool. In addition, the bill will pay special attention to the protection of patients' personal medical data.
Context: AI in Public Services and Cybersecurity
The introduction of artificial intelligence in Ukraine is not limited to healthcare. Earlier, the AI assistant Lexa was launched on the official website of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine — a digital helper that assists citizens in obtaining information about public services provided by the agency. In parallel, the Cabinet of Ministers is tightening security requirements for government services: all executive authorities are obliged to urgently form cybersecurity teams, purchase appropriate software, and put it into operation. Together, these steps form a general trend toward the digitalization of public administration, in which medical AI is becoming one of the most sensitive segments requiring thorough legal formalization.
What's Next: Public Discussion and Practical Consequences
The Ministry of Health announced that the bill will be submitted for public discussion in the near future. This means that a stage of collecting proposals from medical associations, patient organizations, IT companies, and specialized experts lies ahead. For medics already working with AI tools, the adoption of the law could mean both the legalization of current practice and the need to adapt workflows to new safety and documentation requirements. For developers like the creators of CheckEye, it means clear rules of the game and potentially a simplified path to certification and scaling solutions nationwide. The key issue to be resolved during the discussion is the balance between the speed of technology implementation and the protection of patients' rights to confidentiality and quality medical care.
