TNMU Awarded the Winners of the Regional Competition for the Order of Saint Panteleimon
On June 14, 2023, the awarding ceremony of the winners of the regional selection for the “Order of Saint Panteleimon” took place in Ternopil National Medical University. The event was attended by the Chairman of the Honourable Council of the “Order of Saint Panteleimon” Vasyl Kniazevych, Honoured Artist of Ukraine Irma Vitovska-Vantsa, Director of the Department of Health Care of Ternopil Regional Military Administration Olha Yarmolenko, Head of the Department of Health Care and Medical Support of Ternopil City Council Vasyl Danchak, representatives of the administration and teachers of TNMU, doctors of Ternopil health care facilities.
The event began with honouring the memory of those doctors who died while performing their duties on the front line. Among them are doctors from Ternopil, as well as many graduates of TNMU, including Serhii Shyshkovskyi, Andrii Misiats, Oleksandr Shabanov, Ivan Mynio, Oleksandr Kobernyk, Taras Baran, Vitalii Bezkorovainyi, Oleksandr Prokopchuk, Yaroslav Zhebeliuk.
Today, the lives of military and civilian Ukrainians in the combat zone are being saved by 86 medics of the Ternopil region who perform their medical duties in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 11 employees of our university risk their lives every day, including 7 clinicians. Nine TNMU students also went to defend Ukraine and save the lives of soldiers.
The Archbishop, Ternopil-Zboriv Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Bishop Vasylii Semeniuk, Archpriests of the Ternopil Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Vasyl Mokrytskyi and Ivan Lesyk gave their pastoral blessing to all those present at the event.
The choir of the Ternopil Higher Theological Seminary named after Patriarch Josyf Slipyi performed the prayer “Our Father”.
We ask the Lord every day that everyone will return healthy and unharmed to their families, to their favourite work, to their patients and to a normal peaceful life. The loss of the best of Ukrainian nation is emotionally reflected in the song “Bilia topoli (By the poplar)”, which was performed by the students of TNMU.
In 2009, the Ministry of Health introduced the incentive award “Cross of Panteleimon the Healer”, which was awarded to those who have outstanding personal merits and contribute to the development of the field of health care and medical science. The award was initiated by the Minister of Health of Ukraine Vasyl Kniazevych and approved and blessed by the leaders of the largest Christian churches of Ukraine.
In 2017, the Order of Saint Panteleimon, a public award for professionalism and charity, was launched, which continued the tradition of awarding doctors with the aim of restoring the foundations of charity and humanism in society. Since then, doctors have been honoured annually.
The award for professionalism and charity “Order of Saint Panteleimon” is public, has a professional orientation and is awarded for humanitarian and noble activity in the field of health care.
The Chairman of the Honourable Council of the Order, Vasyl Kniazevych, who came to the festive celebrations that day, noted that “it is a great honour for him to be at this event in Ternopil, as the Order of Saint Panteleimon was founded with the aim of raising the prestige of the medical profession. Another goal is to build and maintain trust in specialists, in each other, in power institutions, trust in the middle of the community, so that Ukraine is strong and consolidated.”
Member of the Honourable Council of the Order and Honoured Artist of Ukraine Irma Vitovska-Vantsa emphasized the importance of the doctor’s profession, especially during the war. She also read a relevant and touching poem by Serhii Zhadan “Soldier’s Shoes”. Ms. Irma thanked all military personnel who today sacrifice their lives and health for the sake of Ukrainian independence.
The head of the Ternopil Regional Council of the “Order of Saint Panteleimon”, Rector of Ternopil National Medical University Mykhaylo Korda emphasized that the professions of doctor and nurse are among the most weighty and prestigious of all time. Professor Mykhaylo Korda focused on the importance of the work of doctors and paramedics on the front line and in combat conditions, the responsibility of medics who save the lives of Ukrainian defenders in medical facilities in rear cities. The Rector of TNMU noted that a monument will be erected in the courtyard of the administrative building for all graduates of the university who died in the line of duty during the full-scale war to honour their contribution to the struggle for our independence. He added that the regional council received many proposals for honouring military and civilian doctors. According to Mykhaylo Korda, two winners were chosen based on the voting results.
The nominees for the regional selection of the “Order of Saint Panteleimon” in 2023 were:
- in the “Military doctor” nomination: post-graduate student of the department of operative surgery and clinical anatomy of TNMU Oleksii Protsailo (Oleksii’s father Mykhailo Protsailo received the certificate), Associate Professor of the department of pharmacology with clinical pharmacology of TNMU Andrii Chornomydz (his wife Iryna Chornomydz received the certificate);
- in the nomination “Civil doctor”: head of the department of cardiovascular and X-ray endovascular surgery of the Ternopil municipal hospital No. 2 Oleh Luhovyi and Associate Professor of the department of general surgery of TNMU Andrii Pavlyshyn.
The winners of the regional selection of the “Order of Saint Panteleimon” were the director (chief physician) of Ternopil Central District Hospital Volodymyr Lisovskyi in the nomination “Military doctor” and the founder and head of the department of interventional radiology, cardiology and reperfusion therapy of Ternopil Regional Clinic Hospital Bohdan Maslii in the nomination “Civil doctor”.
As a gift, the song of the famous Ukrainian composer Volodymyr Ivasiuk “Pisnia bude pomizh nas (The song will be between us)” was played by TNMU student music band.
A number of spiritual songs were performed by representatives of the choir of the Ternopil Higher Theological Seminary named after Patriarch Josyf Slipyi.
At the end of the event, Vasyl Kniazevych wished the winners of the regional selection to successfully complete the all-Ukrainian tour of the competition, during which the ethical and professional commission will make their conclusions, and the Honourable Council will vote for each participant separately, and receive the “Order of St. Panteleimon”.
The celebrations were completed with the performance of the spiritual anthem of Ukraine “Bozhe, velykyi yedynyi (Lord, oh the Great and Almighty)” by TNMU choir.
TNMU Press Secretary, Yanina Chaikivska.
Photographs by Mykola Vasylechko.