Project`s aim "Development of medical education"

Despite the continuous russian armed aggression, which creates severe security threats and challenges for the educational system, the Ukrainian government is dedicated to improving medical education as part of the human resources for health strengthening plan.

As part of the health reform initiative, primary health care has been significantly strengthened over the last five years. The new government reform program (Healthcare 2030) outlines further improvement goals.

It is widely recognized that the availability of adequately qualified, trained and motivated professionals in the health sector are critical factors for delivering quality health care interventions that will improve population health outcomes. Thus, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC, donor), the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH, implementing

agency), and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health (beneficiary) conceptualized the MED project to foster systematic development of human resources with a focus on frontline healthcare workers and related managers.

 

Goal of the MED project:

 
Quality of healthcare services, especially on the primary care level is improved due to better medical and managerial education. As a result, primary healthcare providers are more competent, motivated for professional development and for the provision of patient-focused and safe healthcare services.

 

The second four-year phase of the project began in July 2023 and will last until June 2027. The budget for the second four-year phase of implementation is CHF 6.8 million.

 

Outcome 1: Capacities and capabilities of higher education institutions HEI (training family doctors, family nurses, and managers) are improved and assure student-oriented education of higher quality. 

 

- Better teaching practices at the medical HEIs are established

- Medical doctors and nurse trainees receive practice-oriented and relevant clinical skills

- The establishment of a new 'medical faculty' based on NaUKMA and Dobrobut Academy is supported

- Digital solutions for higher education institutions (HEIs) are developed and implemented

- Transparent and effective management (policies and practices) at the level of autonomous medical HEIs is practiced

- Consistency of policies and practices through the stronger agency of medical HEIs is put in place

- The new master programme in health care management is operating for better managerial competencies of health care providers. To strengthen the expertise provided by the project, technical support is provided by key project partners: Maastricht University and the Ukrainian Health Center.

 

The activities under the first result will be implemented in pilot and partner higher education institutions, which were selected on a competitive basis at the beginning of the second phase of the project:

 

  • Dobrobut Academy
  • Bukovinian State Medical University (BSMU)
  • Zhytomyr medical institute
  • Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University
  • Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University
  • National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
  • Andrei Krupynskyi Lviv Medical Academy
  • Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University
  • Bogomolets National Medical University
  • Yuri Semenyuk Rivne Regional Clinical Hospital
  • Sumy State University
  • Horbachevsky Ternopil  State Medical University
  • Uzhhorod National University
  • Kharkiv National Medical University

 

Outcome 2: Primary Health Care, PHC personnel have improved competencies and enhanced teamwork capabilities and thus users have more trust and satisfaction.

 

- At the PHCs the teamwork of family doctors and family nurses is strengthened

- Primary healthcare providers efficiently use new CPD modalities

- Occupational standards for PHC providers are developed and implemented

 

Outcome 3: An enabling policy development and work environment for enhanced medical education and HRH is established. Educators, practitioners, and policy-makers form a learning community and adapt good international practices.

 

- Building community for evidence-based and good practices for better policies

- Transversal educational topics (e.g. empathy, humanity) are integrated into education and practice

- National and regional exchanges among educators, practitioners, and policy-makers for better HRH policies and practices conducted

 

This is the second phase of our project. You can read more about Phase I here

 

In total, from December 1, 2018 to June 2023, we

- Supported the development of infrastructure to strengthen clinical skills at pilot higher education institutions;

- Developed training modules with partners - a master's program in healthcare management, humanity and empathy in healthcare, family medicine for medical students;

- Piloted new approaches to the provision of primary care by teams (nurses)

and much more.