Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, 22 January 2019 – A round table discussion was held in Kramatorsk, where a pilot training initiative for emergency medical technicians from medical colleges in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts was presented. The initiative will be implemented with support from the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine (UNDP) and the European Union within the framework of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme.

The round table participants – including the administrations of medical colleges in Kostiantynivka and Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, and Lysychansk and Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast – discussed the main areas of further cooperation for the coming year, and focussed on informational and educational methodologies for healthcare provider training in both oblasts, skills development of local specialists in strategic planning, efficient usage and mobilization of resources, and so on.

“The reform of the healthcare system of Ukraine remains one of the key priorities in the public agenda. In this regard, piloting practices in informational educational targeting medical staff and patients as well as building capacity of emergency medicine technicians is an important step for the reform implementation”, said Victor Munteanu, Head of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, who was present at the round table.

The round table participants agreed to establish a distance-based working group of medical college specialists to prepare specifications of equipment to be procured by UNDP for the training of emergency medicine technicians.

In the nearest future, training for trainers is planned on the provision of emergency medical care based on the curriculum and manuals developed by the Ministry of Health, as well as involving colleges in systematic participation in the development of joint curricula for future emergency medical technicians.

Background information:

The UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (RPP) addresses priority needs in eastern Ukraine after armed conflict erupted in the spring of 2014. The Programme is intended to strengthen community security and social cohesion, support the economic recovery of conflict-affected communities, and further the implementation of decentralization and healthcare reforms in government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The RPP is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: UNDP, UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Programme is supported by nine international partners: the European Union, the European Investment Bank and the governments of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Japan. Its total budget for 2019-2022 is over USD50 million.

Media inquiries:

Maksym Kytsiuk,Communication Associate, UNDP Ukraine, +380 63 576 18 39, maksym.kytsiuk@undp.org