Summit of medical professionals held under Hospital to Hospital program
KYIV - First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko on March 17 hosted an unprecedented international summit of medical professionals in this city as part of the Hospital to Hospital program of the Ukraine 3000 Foundation. Ukraine 3000 is an organization headed by the first lady whose goal is to establish a tradition of charitable giving and care.
Program Director Vera Pavlyuk explained that the goal of Hospital to Hospital is to establish long-term partnerships between health care providers in Western Europe and the United States with those in Ukraine to improve the health-care system for children.
Among the presenters was Dr. Zenia Chernyk, chairwoman of the Ukrainian Federation of America, who touched on several subjects ranging from the need to change Ukraine's tax system to benefit non-profit organizations and encourage charitable giving, to Project Life Line, a multi-tiered medical care commitment that has already garnered the support of the first lady and the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Chernyk introduced Stephen Robinson, who heads the World Hemophilia Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland. Mr. Robinson explained that his organization is prepared to help with finances and resources to create a bridge to blood disease awareness.
Other participants in the conference included representatives from the University of Miami who spoke about medical administration in addition to health care delivery. Dr. Roxolana Horbowyj, representing the World Federation of Ukrainian Medical Associations, explained the various resources and programs that organization has to offer.
Dr. Volodymyr Werteleckyj, the head of the genetics department at the University of Southern Alabama, made a gripping presentation on the rampant occurrence of spina bifida and it's preventability with proper prenatal care and education.
Other presenters included medical professionals from Austria, Italy and Canada, and ambulance operators and paramedics from England.
One of the most compelling presentations was by Dr. Irakly Sasania of Tbilisi, Georgia. Dr. Sasania is the director of a Western-style pediatric hospital that was established with the help of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the American International Health Alliance. Dr. Sasania spoke of the success of his hospital as it moved from the Soviet medical tradition to a more effective Western style. He credited much of the hospital's success with its twinning and partnership with Emory University - the same relationship Hospital to Hospital is trying to establish in Ukrainian hospitals.
Many of the conference participants followed up their experience the next day with independent meetings at which interests and resources crossed.
After the conference and between impromptu meetings, Dr. Chernyk met with members of the print and electronic media to further promote and explain the idea of East-West medical cooperation.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, April 16, 2006, No. 16, Vol. LXXIV
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