First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the International Medical Partnership Forum, which this year was held under the theme “From Doctor to Doctor.”
The event brought together over 150 participants from 19 countries, including leading Ukrainian and foreign doctors representing hospitals that have joined the First Lady’s International Medical Partnership initiative, as well as representatives of government agencies and embassies from partner countries.
The First Lady thanked Ukrainian and foreign doctors who are saving lives in Ukraine.
“Your work has long gone beyond treatment — it has become a humanitarian mission that strengthens solidarity and humanity in the world. The International Medical Partnership that brought us together today is a clear example of this. This project is especially close to my heart because it was during the 2023 Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen that it was launched, and the first memorandums were signed,” said Olena Zelenska.
Since the initiative’s launch, 71 partnerships have been established, bringing together 37 Ukrainian and 45 foreign medical institutions from 24 countries. Thanks to this cooperation, over 700 Ukrainian doctors have undergone training abroad, and about 150 joint surgeries have been performed.
Forum participants also shared stories of successful international cooperation. Doctors from the National Cancer Institute, the Regional Family Health Medical Center, and their partners from Sweden and Lithuania shared their experience in saving patients and introducing new medical approaches.
“We can now say with confidence that the medical partnership not only helps Ukraine — it enriches all participants with new knowledge. The experience of Ukrainian doctors in saving people with war-related injuries is now the largest in the world — unfortunately. But this very experience can save many more lives in other circumstances and countries,” Olena Zelenska emphasized.
During the forum, eight new partnership memorandums were signed between Ukrainian and foreign medical institutions, expanding cooperation in oncology, rehabilitation, highly specialized care, and perinatal medicine.
The new partnerships were established by: the National Cancer Institute and the Gustave Roussy Institute (France); Kremenchuk City Hospital “Pravoberezhna,” Kremenchuk Hospital of Intensive Care, Kremenchuk Perinatal Center, and the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital (France); Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital and Lille University Hospital (France); the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ); Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Hospital named after I. I. Mechnikov and Razom for Ukraine (USA); Dnipropetrovsk Regional Clinical Hospital named after I. I. Mechnikov and Kaunas Clinic of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Lithuania).
From now on, medical institutions will be able to implement joint clinical practices, organize internships for Ukrainian doctors in foreign hospitals, exchange expertise, and carry out projects that strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s healthcare system.
GIZ brings together 17 German medical institutions within a single partnership network, bringing the total number of partnerships to 95.
Foreign delegations also visited three Ukrainian hospitals actively involved in the International Medical Partnership initiative: the National Cancer Institute, the National Children’s Specialized Hospital “Okhmatdyt,” and the Feofaniya Clinical Hospital.