Here is a good link describing the Ukrainian health care system. It was written for Seattle health care providers so that they could understand their patients who were born in Ukraine.

http://ethnomed.org/ethnomed/voices/ukraine.html

Eastern European medicine is truly different then Western medicine.

Another thing to keep in mind, sometimes a child will receive a diagnose like Hepatitis C without any testing. A doctor may decide on this diagnose because of the birth mother's behavior. Or a child could receive the Hepatitis C diagnose because of Rom (gypsy) heritage.

Here is a web site about Russian medical practice and adopted children. It is a good read.

http://www.russianadoption.org/adoptionfaq.htm

It is sometimes said that diagnoses are exaggerated because only unhealthy children may be adopted or to increase the funding available to the orphanage. In my experience this is simply not the case, physicians in Russia believe what they are writing.

I believe this statement applies to Ukrainian medical practices as well. They really believe what they are writing on the child's medical records.

However we just have a completely different way of looking at health and illness. And this can make it difficult for an adoptive parent....

Especially with the Ukrainian system where you get the referral once you have traveled to Ukraine. Some people use Adoption Doctors based in the US. Some people hire a doctor in Ukraine to exam the child/child's records and explain the medical record. And some folks educated themselves on different medical issues.

I decided to educate myself on the various medical issues. My thought was... I was open to many issues and that I would judge for myself. I wasn't trying to adopt a "healthy" child, so I didn't feel like I needed the additional advise.

Regardless of your approach, I suggest google'ing "adoption medicine" and reading all the web sites to educate yourself. There is so much out there now.