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All Ukrainian physicians interested in attending the 2018 WICC meeting (August 25-29, Lviv, Ukraine) were asked to write a short essay describing at least three approaches to primary care improvement and optimization. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine received 50 short essay from general practitioners, pediatricians and family physicians from all regions of the country. All authors are invited to attend the event and the authors of the 10 best essays will receive financial assistance.

Best essays on improving primary care

Ten winners of the "Improving primary care. My Action Plan" short essay competition will receive financial support to attend the open session of the 2018 WONCA International Classification Committee (WICC) annual meeting, which will take place on August 28 in Lviv, Ukraine. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine in cooperation with the WHO Country Office Ukraine will cover their accommodation, travel and food expanses.

The other 40 competition participants received an invitation to participate in the 2018 WICC Annual Meeting open session. The WICC is WONCA's longest serving committee, whose mission is to develop and maintain classifications that accommodate the complete domain of family medicine/general practice.

Improving primary care: the doctors’ perspective

The majority of the short essay authors emphasized the need to improve the quality of professional education and training. In fact, medical education reform is one of the priority areas for the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. This year, the Ministry has introduced a new requirement for admission to a medical specialty - prospective medical school applicants must reach a 150-point threshold on the external independent evaluation test. In the near future, the Ministry will publish and invite public to discuss the medical education development strategy, which will outline the key systematic changes and practical steps to improving medical education over the next 10 years.

Doctors also mentioned the need to implement an electronic health record system, to organize trainings on effective doctor-patient communication and internal communications. Some essays focused on the implementation of international clinical practice guidelines and protocols. Raising public awareness on healthy lifestyle and behaviors was also one of the key recommendations.

The transformation of the Ukrainian healthcare system is underway. The insights and practical recommendations of Ukrainian health professionals show that we are moving in the right direction. The 2018 WICC Annual Meeting in Lviv will bring together the leading specialists in Family Medicine/General Practice from around the world, who will share their knowledge and extensive experience. The meeting is a great opportunity for Ukrainian doctors to discuss with international experts and foreign colleagues the ongoing healthcare transformation, as well as the development and implementation of new practices and initiatives in this context.