Are free tests at private labs in jeopardy? CSD LAB is challenging the Cabinet of Ministers’ decision in court
11 June 19:36
company news
CSD LAB, a medical laboratory, is challenging the new rules for funding laboratory services under the Medical Guarantees Program (MGP) and has already filed a lawsuit against the anti-competitive provisions of Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1808. This was reported by CSD LAB, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“In addition, the company, together with the European network of medical laboratories Sinevo, the Association of Private Medical Institutions of Ukraine, and a number of other private medical companies, has appealed to the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine regarding the new conditions for implementing the MGP in 2026,” the statement reads.
In their view, the introduced changes create unequal conditions for private, municipal, and state medical institutions and may limit patients’ access to free laboratory tests. Earlier, the medical laboratory Sinevo announced a similar lawsuit.
“This is not about a single case involving one company, but about a systemic problem that affects patients’ access to medical services, as well as the principles of implementing medical reform in general,” comments Alexander Dudin, co-founder and CEO of the medical laboratory CSD LAB.
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WHAT HAPPENED
On December 31, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 1808, which approved the Procedure for the Implementation of the PMG in 2026. This document introduced artificial reduction coefficients exclusively for private laboratories, which led to a 70% reduction in contracts with the National Health Service of Ukraine (NSZU), the company reports.
At the same time, state and municipal institutions are explicitly exempt from this coefficient.
The company explains that, as a result, private laboratories receive only 33% reimbursement for tests performed, while state and municipal institutions receive 100% of the cost for similar services. As a result, the number of Ukrainians who will be able to take advantage of CSD LAB’s high-quality free services will decrease by 66%.
“The reduction coefficients were introduced after the services had already been provided to patients—without warning and retroactively, and no such rules existed in previous models of the Medical Guarantees Program,” notes Oleksandr Dudin.
At the CSD LAB medical laboratory, they believe that the Medical Guarantees Act grants patients the right to independently choose where to have their tests performed. Therefore, the rules for participating in the Program should not limit this choice based on the ownership structure of the medical facility. The company notes that the Ministry of Health’s current decision deprives patients of the ability to independently choose where to undergo necessary tests. As a result, such changes contradict the basic principle of healthcare reform—“money follows the patient”—and create unequal conditions for medical institutions to participate in the PMG.
“Since 2023, laboratories have been providing patients with free tests, operating under the existing terms of the PMG. In 2025, the rules were effectively changed by a single decision, and only after some of the services had already been provided. We performed laboratory tests under the PMG program worth 191 million UAH, but after applying the reduction factors, the contract amount was 68 million UAH,” emphasizes Oleksandr Dudin.
According to the company, the new terms of the Procedure for Implementing the PMG in 2026 contradict international practice. In Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, the United States, and Singapore, private laboratories are an integral and equal part of the established medical guarantee program and operate on equal terms with laboratories of other forms of ownership.
“To ensure Ukrainians continue to have access to necessary diagnostics at CSD LAB, we have provided additional laboratory tests for patients at our own expense. In the first five months of 2026 alone, we performed over 207,000 tests for more than 54,000 patients in 28 cities across Ukraine. At the same time, the application of these rates in no way affects the quality of services, which remains high,” adds Oleksandr Dudin.
The company emphasizes that laboratory diagnostics is one of the key stages of prevention and treatment—the accuracy of the tests determines the diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
The company notes that CSD LAB continuously invests in modern equipment, technological advancements in testing, rapid analysis processing, and quality control in accordance with the international ISO 15189 standard. The laboratory is convinced that patients’ interests must be adequately protected, and their access to modern and highly accurate diagnostics must remain a priority when making healthcare decisions.
CSD LAB is one of the largest laboratory operators in Ukraine. It performs more than 2 million laboratory tests annually and collaborates with over 2,500 public and private healthcare facilities. Since 2023, it has been a participant in the PMG, providing patients with free tests. It operates in accordance with international quality standards and has implemented a management system compliant with ISO 15189—the global standard for medical laboratories.
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