Supporting the Medical Education Reform in Ukraine

Project completed


A profound health reform is underway in Ukraine. The currently ill-prepared medical education system is a fundamental component of it. Training curricula are outdated and teaching staff lack essentials skills, capacities and motivation. This project supports the reform of the medical education system for family doctors and nurses, and the strengthening of competencies of healthcare managers. As a result, significant quality improvements of health care delivered to the population are expected.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Ukraine
Health
nothemedefined
Health education
Health systems strengthening
01.05.2017 - 30.06.2023
CHF  5’330’000
Background The Ukrainian medical education system did not improve much in the last two decades. Training curricula are outdated and insufficiently evidence-based. Teaching staff lack essentials skills, capacities and motivation. Moreover, the professional potential of nurses remains largely unexploited. As a result, healthcare services delivered to the population are of poor quality. Since 2014, Ukraine embarked in a transformative reform process, which includes the development of human resources for health. The strategic orientation of the project is to strengthen the quality of education and career pathways of the primary healthcare workforce, as well as to increase the skills and competencies of healthcare managers in order to increase efficiency. SDC’s support aims at improving the performance of the medical education system at the under-graduate, post-graduate and continuing education levels, allowing primary healthcare staff to acquire the necessary clinical, technical and communication skills to provide medical services of better quality to the population.
Objectives To provide quality primary healthcare services for a better health of the Ukrainian people and enhance efficiency of the health care system by improving the medical education system for primary healthcare workforce.
Target groups

Direct beneficiaries: medical students of three universities, nurse students of medical colleges, residents/medical doctors, family doctors, teaching and managerial staff from universities and nursing schools.

Indirect beneficiaries: Ministry of Health with affiliated entities, medical training institutions, teachers and tutors, professional family doctors and nurses associations and local family doctors networks.

Medium-term outcomes

Outcome 1: Capacities and skills of primary healthcare staff (family doctors and nurses), are strengthened through an improved national medical education system.

Outcome 2: Performance and efficiency of healthcare services are improved through strengthened management capacities.

Results

Expected results:  

• At policy level: at least two policies, strategies or regulatory documents related to medical education are elaborated and adopted.

• At institutional level: national and regional medical education institutions have strengthened their capacities.

• At practitioner level: annually, 1’500 medical students of three universities have benefitted from an improved under-graduate, post-graduate and continuing medical education system.

• Annually, 800 nurse students of three medical colleges have benefitted from improved nurse education.

• Annually, over 200 residents (medical doctors) have been enrolled in the two years family medicine specialisation program

• Over 500 family doctors and nurses working at primary health care level have benefitted annually from improved continuing medical education.


Results from previous phases:   A thorough assessment of the gaps of the current medical education system allowed gathering essential data and information to develop a solid baseline at the beginning of the planned phase.


Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Credit area Swiss cooperation with Eastern Europe
Project partners Contract partner
Swiss Academic and Research Institution
  • Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute


Other partners
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
Coordination with other projects and actors The project aligns with the medical education reform agenda (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Education, National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education). A close coordination with other stakeholders involved in medical education will also be ensured (WB, WHO, USAID).
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    5’330’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    5’160’568
Project phases Phase 2 01.07.2023 - 30.06.2027   (Current phase)

Phase 1 01.05.2017 - 30.06.2023   (Completed)