A Delegation from the Kingdom of Belgium Visited TNMU

On September 10, 2024, Ternopil National Medical University hosted a delegation from Belgium, which included surgeon and wound treatment specialist Ihor Vitenko, adviser to the Member of the European Parliament and public figure Galina Мatushina, general practitioner Günter Carl Constandt (Ghent University), expert nurse in palliative and hospital care Conny Georgette Vervynch, Counsellor and Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Belgium in Ukraine Frederik Develter, Rudy Nelissen, Piet Stevens, Klaus Stàlberg Laurinpoika, Michel de Ligne, 14th Prince de Ligne, Prince d’Épinoy, Prince d’Amblise and De Gerlache de Gomery (baron) Bernard Henri P, journalist of British “The Daily News” John. Roman Polikrovskiy, the head of Zbarazh Territorial Community, and Volodymyr Bohaichuk joined the delegation.

Ihor Vitenko noted that this time, the members of the Belgian delegation represent several directions: medical (they analyze medical problems in Ukraine and help the wounded directly in medical institutions), advocacy, and transport. According to him, the primary purpose of the visit was to help Ukrainians and Ukraine during the war and contribute to the country’s reconstruction.

The guests met with the university’s Rector, Mykhailo Korda, who spoke in detail about the activities, achievements, and innovations at TNMU. He thanked the Belgian people for their support and assistance to Ukraine. According to Mykhailo Korda, this is one of the crucial components of the stability of the Ukrainian nation in this war.

The meeting was about establishing cooperation for developing the new specialties “Prosthetics-Orthotics” and “Therapy and Rehabilitation,” sharing experience in the care of palliative patients.

In addition, the issues of establishing closer contacts with Belgian medical institutions and universities to implement the program of internships, academic exchanges, exchanges of practicing doctors, etc., were discussed.

The Belgian delegation had the opportunity to inspect the physical infrastructure of TNMU, particularly the simulation training center.

Representatives of the Kingdom of Belgium visited Ternopil Oblast with a humanitarian mission; in particular, they brought three ambulances with medical equipment and a jeep. The transport was delivered to Ukraine under the auspices of the Ihor Vitenko Foundation. Mr. Ihor is a graduate of TNMU and has been living in Belgium for 25 years. He comes from Ternopil Oblast. At the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, he came to Ukraine to treat wounded soldiers. He started helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2014.