Viktor Liashko: We expect a new wave of international medical partnerships soon

This was stated by the Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko during a seminar on the development of international medical partnership. During the event, representatives of medical institutions participating in the initiative shared their experience and approaches to building international cooperation.

“The International Medical Partnership is a major initiative launched on September 6 this year during the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. 25 Ukrainian medical institutions have received “sisters” in different parts of the world: from Poland to Canada. We are talking about direct in-depth cooperation between hospitals, whose medical specialists will regularly exchange experience with their foreign colleagues, adopt best practices, organize internship programs for doctors and many other things,” Minister Viktor Liashko emphasized. “We are already seeing the first results. In September, more than 50 doctors from medical institutions in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, and Odesa took part in educational and scientific events abroad, as well as experience exchange programs. Our specialists learned the best practices from their colleagues in France, Austria, Israel, Belgium, and Japan. Now they will apply the knowledge gained to improve the quality of Ukrainian medicine.”

As of early October 2023, 18 countries have joined the Open Declaration on International Partnerships for Health Workforce Strengthening, which was also proclaimed in Kyiv during the Third First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit.

The Ukrainian healthcare institutions of the countries that supported the declaration have signed 25 memorandums of international medical partnership. At the same time, a list of healthcare institutions for international medical partnerships has not yet been agreed with 8 countries that supported the declaration. These are Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The Minister noted that the next wave of countries joining the declaration, and therefore new medical partnerships, is expected after the meeting of the Standing Committee of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, which will be held in Astana at the end of October 2023.

The goal of the program is to form a long-term mutually beneficial partnership that will strengthen the technical, expert, scientific, and managerial potential of specific institutions. Building effective cooperation between institutions requires additional coordination and facilitation. The Minister assured that the Ministry is ready to provide all the necessary assistance in this process: to help organize communication, clearly define priorities, formulate plans, and further deepen cooperation.