On-site legal aid project for ATO soldiers has been launched in Cherkassy, - Pavlo Petrenko

“Upon an initiative of the Government, the Ministry of Justice launched another important social project as part of the development of the legal aid provision system in Cherkasy. An on-site group of lawyers will be working directly within the hospital. They will provide legal aid to people who are here on rehabilitation, in order for them not to travel and search for our center in Cherkasy or any of the regions”, - said the Minister.

Free secondary legal aid lawyers will visit the hospital, perform reception of citizens on-site and solve everyday problems of people, who had been through war.

“The Ministry of Justice implements maximum legal aid for our ATO participants and their families via these new pilot projects. Because the person, who had actually been through war, shouldn’t have to deal with bureaucracy in government bodies – it’s unacceptable.

The Minister also visited Cherkasy “Mother and Child center” that joined the pilot project to issue birth certificates directly at the medical facility. Pavlo Petrenko presented birth certificates to mothers of 5 children.

All maternity clinics that joined the pilot project will have front-offices, where specialists receive documents and within 24 hours time they provide parents with a birth certificate for their child.

This pilot project operates in 9 regions (oblast centers). After it has been launched 1000 birth certificates have been issued only in maternity clinics.

“In the meantime, the main challenge before both our registrars and parents when filling out forms was to choose a name for the baby”, - pointed out Pavlo Petrenko.

Additionally Pavlo Petrenko paid a visit to the local center for administrative services provision (TSNAP) where he had a talk with its visitors and discuss the idea of transferring registration functions to local governments.

Pavlo Petrenko reminded that the Ministry of Justice was the first to abandon its powers and transfer business and property registration functions to a local level.

“Unfortunately, legislation that provides the possibility to transfer not only power and services, but also money they will receive in form of payment for services, has not yet been adopted by Ukrainian MPs”, - stated Pavlo Petrenko.

With an active support from the Ministry of Justice such centers have been opened and operating in Chernivtsi, Vinnitsia, Lutsk, Lviv and other oblast centers. And Odessa will have its House of Justice opened in the nearest future.

“The Ministry of Justice has made everything possible for local governments to receive quality services even without the necessary legislation, delayed for adoption by the Parliament. I hope that next year every Cherkasy and oblast resident, while visiting the administrative services centers and paying the registration fee, will know that these money go to the local budget and they are going to be spent on roads, hospitals, kindergartens in Cherkasy and won’t go to the central budget”, - summarized the Minister of Justice.