The jubilee international medical forum with international participation “Medicine of Ukraine and the World: Foundations, Realities, and Strategic Prospects” (Christmas Readings 2023) was held in Lviv. More than 600 participants from Ukraine and around the world are taking part.
As part of the event, the Center joined in organizing and holding the plenary session “Directions for improving patients' access to treatment in Ukraine: challenges and new opportunities for pharmaceutical provision in wartime.” The Center's team includes Director Mykhailo Babenko, deputies, heads of structural units, and leading experts – 12 participants in total. The event is moderated by Deputy Director for Clinical Affairs Vitalii Lobas and Director of the HTA and Rational Pharmacotherapy Department of the Center Oresta Piniazhko.
The plenary session was opened by the Director of the Center, Mykhailo Babenko. In his presentation, he outlined the main areas of activity and functions of the Center in the healthcare system and its role in providing Ukrainians with high-quality, safe, and effective medicinal products.
Next, the Center’s specialists covered individual areas of the Center’s work in accordance with its statutory powers.
- In particular, Taisa Herasymchuk, Director of the Department for Expert Evaluation of Preclinical and Clinical Trial Materials, spoke about clinical trials in Ukraine, today's realities and future prospects.
- Tetiana Bashkatova, Director of the Pharmacovigilance Department, spoke about the importance of post-registration surveillance of medicinal products – medication errors in their use, and how to avoid and minimize them.
- The report by Oresta Piniazhko, Director of the Department of Health Technology Assessment and Rational Pharmacotherapy, was devoted to the topic of how to improve patient access to clinically effective and cost-effective health technologies.
- Evidence on the clinical efficacy of medicinal products and its critical appraisal in HTA was covered in her presentation by Yuliia Malyshevska, Deputy Director of the Department of HTA and Rational Pharmacotherapy.
- Oksana Hulenko, Head of the Division for Standardization of Medical Care, spoke about the importance of standardization of medical care (online).
- Kostiantyn Kosiachenko, Advisor to the Director of the Center and Head of the Department of Pharmacy Organization and Economics at Bogomolets National Medical University, spoke about the problems and prospects of implementing hospital HTA in healthcare institutions.
At the end of the meeting, Mykhailo Babenko thanked those present for their attention to the topic of accessibility and quality of medical care and assured them that, despite the war and today's challenges, the Center will continue to do everything necessary for the good of patients, ensuring that citizens receive quality, safe, and effective medicinal products.
Also, as part of the Forum, Center specialists conducted a certified seminar-training on compliance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP). The event was supervised by the Head of the Agency for Methodological and Scientific-Practical Work of the Center, Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor, Honored Healthcare Worker of Ukraine Oleksandr Hudzenko.
The forum runs through December 15, inclusive. Our representatives are also scheduled to take part in other events – symposia, master classes, round tables, workshops. The goal is to discuss current issues in medical science and practice, become acquainted with cutting-edge developments in healthcare, the work of leading Ukrainian scientists, and the experience of invited international experts from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Poland.
