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Mothers and Children Health Care Initiatives: Strategies and International Partnerships
Lyubov Yevtushok
OMNI-Net Medical Coordinator
Round table under the aegis of Rivne Regional State Administration
and International OMNI-Net For Children Not-For-Profit Organization
Rivne, September 19, 2007
It is well-known that Chornobyl disaster consequences called forth some social and environmental circumstances which directly or indirectly influence the population health. Mother and child health care especially in Polissya rayons is a national priority and requires common activities of all public institutions and parental support groups.
It should be noted that population-based birth defects (BD) registries are powerful instruments of assessing the population health status, planning and evaluation health care services delivery. Analysis of BD data in OMNI-Net oblasts demonstrated steady high rates of neural tube defects (NTD). At that, rates in Polissya rayons were higher than in other non-Polissya ones. Besides, attention is attracted by 6 cases of conjoined twins observed in Rivne oblast during 2000-2006.
That's why to promote collaborative research and projects International OMNI-Net for Children Non-for-Profit Organization together with Rivne Regional State Administration have initiated developing the "Polissya Initiative" which can be coordinated by an international working group.
For this purpose, on September 19, 2007 in V. Polishchuk Rivne Regional Clinical Diagnostic Center there was held the Round Table with international participation "Mothers and Children Health Care Initiatives: Strategies and International Partnerships". The goals of the meeting included discussing common activities and establishing close links among the oblasts involved into health care delivery to mothers and children as well as to the whole population of the Polissya region.
During the Round Table discussions
Among the Round Table participants there were Oleh Torkunov (Assistant Head, Rivne Regional State Administration), Viktor Kovalyov (Head, Health Care Department, Rivne Regional State Administration), Ihor Vashchenyuk (Head, Health Care Department, Volyn Regional State Administration), Prof. Oleh Hnateyko (Director, Lviv Institute of Hereditary Pathology, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine), Ihor Pasichnyk (Rector, National University "Ostroh Academy"), Viktor Kimakovych (Pro-Rector in Teaching, D. Halytsky Lviv National Medical University), Prof. Ihor Barylyak (Head, Department of Medical Genetics, Scientific Center of Radiation Medicine; President, Alliance for Birth Defects Prevention), Prof. Yuriy Korzhynsky (Head, Department of Pediatrics, D. Halytsky Lviv National Medical University), Prof. Georhiy Linchevsky (Donetsk State Medical University), Mariya Dumanovska (Assistant Head, Health Care Department, Rivne Regional State Administration), Viktoriya Yenikeyeva (Chief Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Health Care Department, Rivne Regional State Administration), Valentyna Donets (Chief Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Health Care Department, Zhytomyr Regional State Administration), Svitlana Rusak (Chief Pediatrician, Health Care Department, Zhytomyr Regional State Administration), Ihor Shumlyansky (Head Doctor, V. Polishchuk Rivne Regional Clinical Diagnostic Center), Vitaliy Boyk (Head Doctor, Rivne Regional Children's Hospital), Henadiy Shevchenko (Chief Sanitary Doctor of Rivne Oblast), Prof. Rostyslav Sabadyshyn (Director, Rivne Base Medical College), Hryhoriy Vashchylin (General Director, Volyn Regional Children's Territorial Medical Center), Taras Tkachuk (International Charitable Fund "Ukraine 3000"), Oleksandr Komov (Head, Expert Department, Rivne Regional Sanitary and Epidemiological Station), OMNI-Net representatives L. Yevtushok (Chief Medical Geneticist, Rivne Health Care Department), Nataliya Zymak-Zakutnya (Chief Medical Geneticist, Khmelnytsky Health Care Department), Serhiy Lapchenko (Information Coordinator, Volyn OMNI-Center).
Among the international participants of the Round Table there were Prof. Wolodymyr Wertelecki (Head, Medical Genetics Chair, University of South Alabama, Mobile; Full Foreign Member, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine; Director, Ukrainian-American Birth Defects Program (1999-2005); International Coordinator, OMNI-Net Ukraine Birth Defects Prevention Program (since 2006); Head of Supervisory Board, International OMNI-Net for Children Non-for-Profit Organization), Ralph Garruto (Professor of Biomedical Anthropology and Neurosciences, department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, USA), Edward Riley (Behavioral Teratologist; Head, Administrative Core, FASD Consortium; Professor, Director of Center for Behavioral Teratology of San Diego State University, California, USA), Christina Chambers (known specialist in epidemiology and public health; specialist in FAS epidemiology; Professor of Medical Center of San Diego State University, California, USA; President of the American Teratology Society), Kenneth Jones (Head, Dysmorphology and Teratology Chair, Pediatric Department, San Diego State University, California, USA), Carl Keen (Nutrition Specialist; Professor; Head, Department of Nutrition Chair, California University, USA), Claire Coles (Professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; Director, FAS Center, Marcus Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, USA), and Julia Cable (Psychologist, Emory University, Atlanta, USA).
The Round Table discussions were moderated by Ihor Shumlyansky and Prof. W. Wertelecki.
Moderators Prof. W. Wertelecki (left) and I. Shumlyansky
On behalf of the Rivne Regional State Administration the Round Table participants were greeted by its Assistant Head Oleh Torkunov.
As well the meeting participants were greeted by Viktor Kovalyov on behalf of Health Care Department of Rivne Regional State Administration.
During the Round Table there were made the following reports:
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The meeting participants discussed the draft of Memorandum of Understanding regarding participation in development and implementation of Polissya initiative. The representatives of oblasts, universities and scientific institutions agreed to sign the memorandum after adding the propositions appeared during discussions:
- Oleh Hnateyko emphasized that he should know in more detail the discussed questions to decide the degree of participation of Lviv Institute of Hereditary Pathology of the Ukrainian Academy of Medical Sciences;
- Ihor Barylyak proposed to begin realizing the initiative in the OMNI-Net oblasts with further spreading to other Ukrainian oblasts;
- Viktor Kimakovych expressed the thought that to implement the initiative we need to agree it with the Ministry of Health Care of Ukraine which should issue a regulating document;
- Yuriy Korzhynsky told that his chair is ready to collaborate within the Polissya initiative, in particular in twins research; regarding the project management, it should be done by a non-government research center with participation of international experts;
- Zhytomyr representatives Valentyna Donets and Svitlana Rusak emphasized that Zhytomyr specialists are ready to participate in the initiative realization;
- Ihor Pasichnyk told that decentralized approach towards realizing such important initiatives is correct; his university will be a partner in spreading humanistic ideas in medicine;
- Ihor Vashchenyuk expressed the thought about importance of interagency coordination and necessity to investigate health risk factors for Polisya population;
- Georhiy Linchevsky told that to develop and implement projects there should be a public initiative; beginning should be in Polissya and then it can be extended to other regions because improvement of mother and child health care is needed all over Ukraine;
- Edward Riley thinks that at the initial stage of a research project one should concentrate resources and spread experience gained during the initiative realization;
- Wolodymyr Wertelecki told that it is necessary to develop a research plan taking into account the Round Table propositions;
- Taras Tkachuk proposed participation of "Ukraine 3000" international foundation in conducting educational activities;
- Ihor Shumlyansky proposed to complete the memorandum draft with suggestions made during the Round Table; after that the memorandum will be mailed to the participants for signing.
Date of report: October 11, 2007
