There is no place for retirees in Ukraine

Retirees in Ukraine comprise no more than 30% of the entire population. Taking into consideration that Ukraine is bankrupt and that its industries are almost destroyed, it becomes clear that there are almost no resources for pensions. Apart from this, almost half of those who are able to work find jobs abroad and pay nothing into the pension fund. This is why the pension fund in Ukraine has been on the verge of bankruptcy for many years. Retirement benefits in Ukraine are very small. They undergo no proper indexation to match the rate of inflation.

70% of Ukrainian retirees receive $100 per month at best. More than half of this amount is spent on utility payments, especially in winter. The $50 that remain should be stretched over the entire month to buy food and medications, only $1.7 per day. In accordance with the standards declared by the UNO, it is far below the poverty line.

There are more than 9 million such people in Ukraine. Elderly Jews receive charity aids in Heseds once a month (a small amount of food and medications), but the aid cannot solve their problems. The 2 families of retirees that received help from us, are not Holocaust survivors. For this reason, they are eligible for the least aid from Hesed.

Another problem that awaits retirees in Ukraine is lack of healthcare services. In accordance with the Law, healthcare services in the country must be free. We have this right as legacy from the USSR. Nobody has dared to change this part of the Law yet. It does not work, however, because healthcare services cost a lot and the government cannot afford to support an adequate health service. Retirees in Ukraine have little or no chance to get insurance policies, and neither do they have funds to pay for medical care. The scanty savings of some, disappear like ice under the sun. Some prolonged treatment or a surgery turns into a catastrophe for a retiree without an insurance policy or funds to pay for the necessary treatment.

Retirees in Ukraine are in the worst predicament imaginable. At least the above two Jewish families have a way out! Repatriation to Israel, where elderly people can rely upon social security.