Viktor Liashko: “University Community Must Generate Ideas, Develop Medical Standards and Implement the Latest Technologies”

On January 10, 2023, the Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko took part in the festive meeting of the Academic Board of the Ternopil National Medical University. In his address to the TNMU staff, Viktor Liashko noted that he had previously discussed with the Rector of the university Mykhaylo Korda the issue of the university hospital as a defining strategy for the development of medical education and the medical field in general. He also added that in the nearest future the Ministry of Health will organize a meeting with rectors of medical universities to discuss issues of international cooperation.

“We implement the European Union research and innovation program Horizon Europe and plan to involve a large number of medical universities in this cooperation. We have a request to involve students, in particular representatives of student self-government, so that at the beginning of their studies they are included in these processes and offer their ideas and initiatives in order to create changes.

We face enormous challenges. In addition to defending Ukraine from the enemy and liberating Ukrainian lands, we are actively involved in European integration processes. You know that we have acquired the status of a candidate for EU membership, and this presents us with a number of requirements that must be fulfilled. Medical education and its integration into the European environment has many issues that need to be settled and resolved, such as recognition of PhD and DSc degrees, recognition of education levels and diplomas, issues of internship and residency. We should work on this already, so that graduates of medical universities do not feel restricted in their rights and opportunities compared to their European colleagues,” Viktor Liashko emphasized.

He also added that personnel policy and approaches to its planning are an important part of the work of the Ministry of Health. According to predictions of the World Health Organization, a global health workforce crisis is expected in 2030, so the world community should start taking measures now to avoid the crisis or minimize its consequences.

“We have already started this work with rectors of medical universities. We carefully analysed the migration processes of all countries that have acquired full membership in the EU, regarding the outflow of medical personnel, in order to predict what awaits us in 2030-35, and how to plan the state order for training in medical universities.

As for the state order, the government supported the initiative of the Ministry of Health and the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology Mykhailo Fedorov. We have submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada, which changes the approaches to the formation of a state order. The state order remains as it is, but grant programs will be introduced to increase the number of students who will study at state expense. Medical professions will be one of the top priorities, as we need to provide the medical system with qualified personnel – train them, encourage them to stay in Ukraine and distribute them to work in those medical institutions where they are needed,” Viktor Liashko continued.

The Minister of Health of Ukraine drew attention to the implementation of electronic distribution in internships. He said that this process is not easy and needs a lot of refinement.

“During this time, we saw a problem with clinical facilities for internships. We will radically change approaches in this direction, because we are not satisfied with the way we work with interns, what practical and theoretical basis they receive and how they will be employed in the future. As the Minister of Health, I am interested in having highly professional specialists not only in regional centres, but in all settlements of Ukraine.

In addition, universities should become the right hand of the Ministry of Health in all areas. As soon as I became the Minister of Health, I asked each rector to help shape the standards for providing medical care. Unfortunately, we did not receive feedback, so we will change our approach in communicating with medical universities. Representatives of medical education and medical science should generate ideas, develop medical standards. It is you who must be the leaders. An official in the Ministry of Health should not generate standards for the provision of medical care. This is the specialized work of medical universities, which must move forward, introduce new technologies and develop them. Otherwise, university education will fade into the background. We must study what is happening in the world best universities and become the same. Otherwise, our students will go to study in other countries. We have always been famous for the fact that people come to study here. Medical education of Ukraine was the leader of educational tourism in the world. We must maintain and increase these positions regardless of what is happening in the country. We must use all the chances we have today to raise it and develop it in the future. Otherwise, many problems will arise.

The more ideas you have, the better European integration will be and the more results will be achieved. Next time during my visit I want to objectively discuss your ideas”, Viktor Liashko concluded his communication with the team of TNMU.

TNMU Press Secretary, Yanina Chaikivska.

Photographs by Mykola Vasylechko.