Ukraine's Health Ministry said the condition of people affected by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster is continuing to deteriorate.

The number of healthy people among those who were evacuated from the contaminated area has dropped from 57.3 percent to 18.25 percent since the accident, and among those who live on the contaminated territories from 50.7 percent to 16.21 percent, the ministry said in a press release called "Chernobyl, 15 Years On" issued on Saturday.

The highest rate of oncologic diseases is among clean-up workers. It constantly grows and has been higher than Ukraine's average for corresponding age groups since 1995.

Clean-up workers have from endocrine, nervous, blood and digestion problems 1.2 to 1.5 times more often than other adults affected by the accident.

Medical institutions monitor more than 2.6 people, including almost 530,000 children. The state register of people affected by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster has 1.383 million names.

The number of healthy children among those affected by the disaster has decreased by 2.5 times since 1987. Only 16.8 percent of evacuated children are healthy. The number of healthy children among those living in the contaminated area is 23.44 percent and only 23.9 percent of children who were born by parents affected by the disaster are considered healthy.

Since the accident, the sickness rate among affected children has grown 2.8 times, including by 40 percent in the last five years. More than 1,610 people who were under 18 at the moment when the accident happened have been operated on in Ukraine since 1986.

The ministry said 79,061 people have been invalids as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. Most of them have blood circulation problems, cancer and nervous problems.