Reform Roundup: Ukraine Struggles to Fight Corruption, Improve Efficiency

The Ukrainian government has huge plans for reforming the country and the public has long been expecting change.  The word “reform” has become one of the key buzzwords since the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution, but what are the actual challenges to realizing these changes throughout the Ukrainian state and economy?

This week, Hromadske’s Sunday Show broadcasts a roundup of several Ukrainian reform efforts and examines the challenges they are encountering.

We start by looking at Ukraine’s healthcare system. In one town, doctors implemented a system of family medicine to monitor the health of its citizens, diagnose illnesses, and organize treatment. But does this seemingly progressive approach work? Some experts say no.

Next, we look at Ukraine’s efforts to increase its usage of renewable energy to 22% of overall energy consumption by 2035. The Ukrainian parliament has approved a law allowing the private sector to sell surplus wind and solar energy. Hromadske visits two wind power parks that help save significant amounts of natural gas and coal. We also meet the first person in the Kyiv region to sign an agreement allowing him to sell surplus energy that he produces at home with solar panels.

Then, Hromadske goes inside the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) to have a look at the inner working of the agency tasked with halting graft. We explain how NABU ensures objectivity and honesty in its investigations. Hromadske also outlines what it has achieved so far.

Finally, we examine how one Harvard graduate is attempting to eliminate corruption in Ukraine's largest natural gas producer, UkrGazVydobuvanya, attract investment into the industry, and make the company profitable again.