The Ministry of Health together with the WHO presented a manual on international medical partnership
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, has presented a manual on international medical partnerships that provides a comprehensive framework for establishing, managing, and monitoring international medical partnerships between Ukrainian and foreign healthcare institutions. In addition, it will help strengthen cooperation between twinned hospitals and improve the provision of medical care to Ukrainian patients.
“Last year, thanks to the support of First Lady Olena Zelenska during the third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, we launched an important initiative - the International Medical Partnership Program. Today, there are 51 such medical partnerships, which is twice as many as at the beginning. The vision for international medical partnerships presented today is another important step for the further development of this program. This manual will help medical institutions to establish more effective cooperation with each other, which will help to improve the quality of medical services and strengthen human resources in the medical field.”
It should be noted that the vision for international medical partnership contains clear strategic goals and a structured approach for the next three years. The document outlines a framework for implementing and supporting international medical partnerships between Ukrainian medical institutions and international partners. In addition, it reflects the main values of partnerships, the role of the Ministry of Health, explains the key areas of monitoring, etc. The document also contains ready-to-use one-page materials for various aspects of partnership implementation.
“The establishment of international medical partnerships between Ukrainian healthcare institutions and their international partners, initiated in 2023, is a significant step towards strengthening the Ukrainian healthcare system. WHO supports Ukraine on this path. The strategic document presented today outlines the vision for these partnerships in Ukraine. It is based on the key principles of the WHO’s global model of International Health Partnerships for Improvement, which supports long-term efforts to improve the quality of health services and ensure the resilience of health systems, which is crucial for Ukraine in a time of war.”
The document will be further disseminated to encourage as many hospitals and universities as possible to participate in innovative, solution-oriented partnerships. Such interactions will be in line with the national healthcare priorities of Ukraine, and the experience gained will be implemented in the best practices for providing medical care to Ukrainian patients.
For reference: The international medical partnership initiative was launched during the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen under the patronage of First Lady Olena Zelenska. At that time, 25 Ukrainian hospitals got twinned hospitals in different countries to share experience and best practices. A total of 51 medical partnerships already exists.
Currently, 38 advanced hospitals from 19 countries are twinned with Ukrainian medical institutions. These include the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Moldova, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Israel, Sweden, North Macedonia, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Romania, Turkey, and others. The partnership involves 32 Ukrainian medical institutions from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Vinnytsia, Chernihiv, Ternopil, Zakarpattia oblasts and the city of Kyiv.