A Ceremonial “Medical Oscar” Award Ceremony Took Place at TNMU

The ceremony honoring the winners of the regional selection for the Order of Saint Panteleimon was held on April 17, 2026, in the assembly hall of the administrative building of Ternopil National Medical University. The event began with a tribute to the memory of doctors who lost their lives while performing their duties on the front line.

Afterward, representatives of the TNMU choir, together with the “Halychyna” People’s Amateur Choir of Medical Workers (Chortkiv), performed the national anthem of Ukraine.

Pastoral blessings were given to all attendees by Metropolitan Nestor of Ternopil and Kremenets and the chaplain of Ternopil Medical University, Father Ihor Drapak.

A welcoming speech was delivered by Vasyl Knyazevych, Head of the Honorable Council of the Order of Saint Panteleimon.

The nominees and all attendees were also greeted by Bohdan Butkovskyi, Head of the Ternopil Regional Council; Roman Svystun, Deputy Head of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration; and Volodymyr Didych, Deputy Mayor of Ternopil.

In his address, the Rector of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, Professor Petro Lykhatskyi, noted:
“Today we have gathered to honor the best representatives of the most humane profession under the patronage of Saint Panteleimon – the great healer who devoted his life to serving people. The Panteleimon event is not just an award ceremony. It is our sincere gratitude to each of you: to doctors who make complex decisions within seconds; to nurses whose care and kind words sometimes heal better than medicine; to combat medics who save lives under fire; and to all healthcare workers who ensure the functioning of our medical system. We know that behind every award there are sleepless nights, missed family celebrations, and thousands of saved lives. Your work is not only about knowledge and professionalism—it is, above all, about boundless compassion. May Saint Panteleimon protect you just as you protect your patients. I wish you strong health, inexhaustible energy, and that ‘professional miracle’ when illness retreats. May peace reign in your homes, and may your hearts always feel the gratitude of those you have helped.”

The nominees of the regional selection received honorary certificates from Vasyl Knyazevych, Head of the Honorable Council, and Oksana Chaichuk, Head of the Ternopil Regional Council.

In the nomination “Best Doctor – Standard of the Profession,” certificates were awarded to pediatric neurologist and Medical Director for Pediatrics at Ternopil City Municipal Hospital No. 2, Oleh Kobryn, and traumatologist, Head of the Trauma Department at Chortkiv City Hospital, Andrii Nahirnyi.

In the nomination “Model of Service to Society,” certificates were awarded to priest, public figure, volunteer, charity foundation head, and medical chaplain Andrii Levkovych; priest and founder and builder of the Pantheon Andrii Liubun; and Professor Dariia Popovych, Head of the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Education at TNMU.

In the military medic nomination “Support on the Line of Life,” the certificate was awarded to an Armed Forces doctor and Head of the Treatment Department of a medical company, Petro Stetsko.

After a brief musical pause, the organizers announced the winners of the regional competition. In the nomination “Best Doctor – Standard of the Profession,” the winner was a cardiovascular surgeon, Head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantology at Ternopil Regional Clinical Hospital, and Assistant at the Department of Surgery No. 2 at TNMU, Volodymyr Moroz.

In the nomination “Heart of Medicine,” the winner was an operating nurse of the surgical and gynecological department of Shumsk City Hospital, Liudmyla Buianovska.

In the nomination “Model of Service to Society,” the winner was Director of Chortkiv Medical Professional College, Honored Doctor of Ukraine, and Honorary Professor of TNMU, Liubomyr Bilyk.

In the nomination for military medics, “Support on the Line of Life,” the winner was anesthesiologist Serhii Zaiachkovskyi, Head of the Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care of the 66th Military Mobile Hospital.

In the nomination “Hero of the Medical Front,” the winner was a paramedic of a rifle battalion medical post, Roman Sribnyi.

At the conclusion of the event, Tetiana Skarlosh, Deputy Director of the Department of Health of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration, and Oksana Chaichuk, Head of the Regional Council and Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ternopil Region, wished the nominees and winners good health, further success, and a swift victory.