Health Minister of Ukraine, Viktor Lyashko, visited Volyn region as part of a working trip, where the 'Laparoscopic Training Week' is currently underway at the Volyn Regional Clinical Hospital. The course is being conducted under the memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the Charitable Foundation 'Smart Medical Aid UA,' with the support of the Association of Coloproctologists of Great Britain and Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons.

"In September of this year, during the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, we launched a large initiative in Kyiv - the International Medical Partnership programme. At that time, 25 Ukrainian hospitals received 'twin' institutions from various corners of the world, from Poland to Canada," said Viktor Lyashko. "For us, it was important to establish direct cooperation between medical institutions so that doctors could directly exchange experience, adopt best practices, and shape their own relevant agenda. This is what will allow us to improve the level of medical care both in Ukraine and worldwide. This is what I see today in the hospital in Lutsk. Therefore, taking this opportunity, we discussed the intention to sign a memorandum between the Volyn Regional Clinical Hospital and the University Hospitals of Sussex. I hope they will become 'twins' soon. It's nice that the program is constantly expanding."

The International Medical Partnership is a project implemented by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine under the patronage of the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. This year, within the framework of the summit, the Satellite Summit of Health Ministers from various countries took place. Fourteen health ministers from different parts of the world joined it. Leaders of advanced hospitals, both Ukrainian and global, also participated in the summit.

Cooperation within the International Medical Partnership includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

• Involving foreign specialists in working directly in Ukraine.
• Exchange of knowledge and experience during internships.
• Conducting joint scientific research, scientific-practical conferences, and educational events.
• Mentoring and telemedical consultations. Top experts from both sides will be able to conduct patient examinations using telemedical resources.
• Collaborative grant applications for project/research activities, exchange of anonymized data for research, and writing joint scientific publications.