Free Housing for Rural Medical Workers: Who Qualifies and Under What Conditions

Healthcare professionals starting their careers in rural medical facilities in Ukraine may qualify for free government-provided service housing. This opportunity is available to individuals under the age of 50 who do not own property near their workplace and have just been hired for long-vacant positions. 

Eligibility Requirements

This initiative, launched by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (MoH), targets young doctors and medical staff who:

• are employed at municipal healthcare facilities in rural areas;

• are under 50 years old;

• were hired for a vacancy that has been listed on the Unified Health System Job Portal for over 90 days;

• have been working at the facility for no more than 120 days;

• do not own or use residential property within 30 km of their workplace.

The housing is provided only for the duration of employment at a specific medical institution. If the medical worker resigns or transfers, the apartment remains the property of the institution.

How the Program Works

Here is how the process unfolds:

1. The medical worker independently selects suitable housing within a 30 km radius of their workplace (excluding Kyiv, regional centers, and occupied or frontline areas).

2. The chosen property must:

   • have ownership documents officially registered in the State Register of Property Rights;

   • have undergone a certified property valuation registered in the Unified Valuation Report Database within the past six months.

3. The applicant submits a request and a complete document package to their healthcare institution.

4. The documents are reviewed by the regional health authority and then forwarded to the Ministry of Health.

5. Upon approval by the MoH, the healthcare facility purchases the property and designates it as official service housing.

In cases where the application is rejected due to documentation issues or the property not meeting criteria, the applicant may address the concerns and resubmit the documents.

Where the Need Is Greatest

As of now, 980 rural medical job vacancies are listed on the official portal, with 798 of them specifically for doctors. Most of these positions have remained unfilled for more than three months. The regions experiencing the most acute shortage of healthcare professionals include:

• Odesa Region

• Zhytomyr Region

• Kirovohrad Region

• Volyn Region

• Dnipropetrovsk Region