Despite positive trends in the fight against tuberculosis (increased treatment effectiveness, stabilization of the mortality rate from the disease), the epidemic situation in Ukraine remains threatening. In the first half of the year, the tuberculosis incidence rate, taking into account data from the penitentiary system, is already over 80 cases per 100,000 people. These figures were announced at a conference call of the Ministry of Health with the participation of deputy heads of regional state administrations, heads of health care departments and chief state sanitary doctors of the regions. Discussing the implementation of the "National Program for Combating Tuberculosis for 2002-2005," the participants of the meeting noted that for the fourth year the state has been providing all patients with anti-tuberculosis drugs in full. But at the same time, from 18% to 42% of patients interrupt the main course of treatment at the inpatient or outpatient stage, the effectiveness of treatment of patients with recurrent and chronic forms of tuberculosis remains extremely low, and mortality rates remain high. As reported to LIGABusinessInform by the press secretary of the Minister of Health U. Lozan, at the conference call the leadership of the Volyn region could not explain the high mortality rate from tuberculosis (26.5 per 100,000 people) with a relatively low incidence rate (60.5 per 100,000 people) in the subordinate region. Separately, the Ministry of Health addressed the problem of financing the Program's measures from local budgets. In all regional anti-tuberculosis institutions, the cost of food does not meet the norms established by the Cabinet of Ministers resolution "On food norms for persons sick with tuberculosis and infected with tuberculosis mycobacteria," and in Sumy, Kherson and Kirovohrad regions the average cost of food per one norm-day in anti-tuberculosis institutions is only 2-3 hryvnias. In the anti-tuberculosis inpatient facility in the city of Kerch, where patients with the active form of tuberculosis are kept, the cost of food per 1 norm-day is 1.35 hryvnias. Financing of anti-tuberculosis programs remains extremely low in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Odesa regions. Minister of Health of Ukraine Andriy Pidayev noted: "The Ministry constantly monitors the implementation of national and state programs, and our position is unambiguous – at the state level everything is implemented at 100%, and accordingly the percentage of implementation at the regional level should be the same." The Ministry of Health plans to create a coordination council on problematic tuberculosis issues with the participation of deputy ministers, leading scientists and specialists, and to hear all regions regarding the effectiveness of implementing regional program measures.