On December 5-6, a traditional conference of the Ukrainian Association of Family Medicine (UAFM) and Shupyk National Academy of Postgraduate Education (NMAPE) took place in Kyiv, Ukraine. This year, the scientific and practical forum of family doctors was dedicated to the GPs competencies in rehabilitation and brought together more than a thousand participants, representatives of the healthcare providers, practicing physicians, professional associations and family medicine teachers from all regions of Ukraine.
At the opening ceremony of the conference, the Minister of Health of Ukraine Zoryana Skaletska addressed the audience with a welcoming speech, wishing the participants fruitful work; she emphasized that Ministry of Health will continue reforms of healthcare system, and their effective implementation will need, in no doubt, the support from family physicians, who in the near future will become the foundation of the health care in Ukraine.
In the light of medical reforms, the President of UAFM professor Larysa Matyukha in her speech emphasized the importance of the international cooperation for the further implementation of the effective models of the best medical practice in Ukraine; professor Olexandr Tolstanov (NMAPE) spoke about new rules for certification and continuing professional development of medical specialists.
The forum participants met with great interest the speeches of the distinguished guests of the conference, representatives of international organizations - Prof. Mehmet Ungan (president of WONCA Europe, Turkey), prof Radost Assenova (EGPRN, Bulgaria), doctor of medicine Zalika Klemenc-Ketis (president of EQuiP, Slovenia), Liga Kozlovska (president of the Association of Rural Family Doctors, Latvia).
Professor M Ungan in his address to the family doctors of Ukraine spoke about the history, mission and strategic targets of WONCA, outlined 10 main goals of the organization in the near future, among them - creation of the core curriculum in family medicine based on the new EURACT recommendations, expanding possibilities for family physicians to participate in research activities, establishing the GP/FM “quality framework”. WONCA Europe President emphasized the importance of focusing the organization’s strategy on developing cooperation with other global organizations, in particular, he pointed that the Memorandum of Understanding between WONCA and WHO signed in January 2019 is the basis for the long-term strategic and practical partnership to support the development of family medicine in the world.
The further program of the 2019 conference included sessions devoted to the problems of healthcare reforms in Ukraine: workshop for healthcare managers to discuss the main challenges in the organization of primary care; clinical cases workshop; for those wishing to improve their practical skills - 15 trainings and master classes were held.
One of the most interesting topics on the second day of the conference was the discussion of the quality indicators in primary care. This seminar was attended by more than 50 participants, with whom M. Ungan, Z. Klemenc-Ketis, L. Kozlovska shared their experience in health care quality assessment, spoke about different approaches to the quality indicators development in European countries. Based on the information received, the seminar participants started the project for the quality indicators establishment in Ukraine.
The conference ended with the adoption of a resolution in which the Ukrainian Association of Family Medicine confirmed the need for the further development of family medicine as the basis of the healthcare system of Ukraine, appeals to the country's leadership with proposals to improve the financing, motivation and training of family doctors in accordance with the WONCA recommendations.
L. Khimion1, L. Matyukha1, P. Kolesnik2
Ukraine Association of Family Medicine
- Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine