OKHMATDYT consults with highly qualified experts from one of the best children's hospitals in the world
During a one-week visit, the inter-professional team of highly qualified experts from SickKids (Toronto, Canada) will conduct an on-site assessment of the current state of care and services in the National Children’s Specialized Hospital ‘OKHMATDYT’ to identify opportunities for achieving measurable and sustainable improvements in care and service delivery at the centre, and will provide further consultation to help determine potential areas of focus across the the broader system of paediatric care in Ukraine.
During the visit, the SickKids team will help Ukrainian colleagues identify potential impediments to success, simplify complex issues into manageable components, develop innovative solutions, and provide practical advice and guidance to help address the breadth and scope of short and longer term requirements to enhance care in the OKHMATDYT hospital.
"We are most grateful to the SickKids experts for visiting our hospital and providing valuable recommendations. New insights open up new growth opportunities, prompting us to advance in the right direction," commented Iryna Sadoviak, chief physician of OKHMATDYT.
The SickKids assessment team includes experts with the skills and substantial experience necessary to effectively assess and provide recommendations on the key areas of focus: Mr. Jeff Mainland, SickKids Executive Vice-President; Dr. Jeremy Friedman, Associate Chair of Clinical Programs Paediatrics; Ms. Amrita Naipaul, Director of Hematology-Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant and Palliative Care; Mr. Richard Wray, Director of Quality Management, Patient Safety, Infection Prevention and Control; Ms. Cindy Bruce-Barrett, Director of Corporate Strategic Projects SickKids International Affairs; and Dr. Myroslava Romach, Medical Director for the Ukraine Paediatric Fellowship Program – SickKids clinical fellowship program for Ukrainian clinicians.
SickKids is recognized as one of the world’s leading paediatric healthcare institutions, and is Canada’s top academic health sciences centre dedicated to advancing children’s health through the integration of patient care, research and education. Founded in 1875 and affiliated with the University of Toronto, SickKids is one of Canada’s most research-intensive hospitals, and has generated numerous scientific discoveries that have positively benefitted children within Canada and worldwide. Since 1875, SickKids has been leading the fight for kids’ health. Thanks to donors, the SickKids Foundation annualy invests in child health research, clinical advances and care.
To encourage development and implementation of similar practices in Ukraine, on the first day of the official visit, the SickKids experts and the OKHMATDYT administration team met with the top-ten charity funds and donors that had been helping the hospital for many years.
"I believe that today's meeting marked a great start for everyone. Seeing each other, realizing that we are not alone and that it's time to combine our efforts to save more little patients. The hospital management now has to take the necessary steps: to develop a strategy and to identify the priority areas of focus. Most Ukrainian charity organizations currently lack this type of guided and systemic work with hospitals. The needs are often very chaotic – presented by doctors, parents, administrations, or other organizations. Some departments get more assistance, others – less, which ultimately affects the whole process of paediatric care," noted Olena Sinitsyna, head of Educational program in pediatric oncology for Ukrainian doctors and nurses at Tabletochki Charity Fund.
SickKids has been actively engaged in Ukraine since 2014 through the Ukraine Paediatric Fellowship Program, in partnership with the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund (CCCF). The Ukraine Paediatric Fellowship Program has been engaged in building system capacity in Ukraine and solidifying strong linkages with numerous healthcare institutions and government officials.