ONMedU Online Meeting with Austrian Colleagues on Cooperation in the Field of Pediatric Tuberculosis

On Friday, September 19, the administration of Odessa National Medical University held an online meeting with Dr. Florian Götzinger, PGD PID, DTM — Consultant in Pediatrics, Director of the Program for Pediatric Infectious Diseases of the Vienna Healthcare Group, Klinik Ottakring, Head of the Austrian Reference Center for Pediatric Tuberculosis, as well as with Mgr. Martin Mühlbacher, Counselor for Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection of the Embassy of Austria in Ukraine.

During the meeting, possible ways of cooperation in the field of research and treatment of pediatric tuberculosis were discussed.

The dialogue was extremely constructive. The First Vice-Rector, Prof. Valeria Marychereda, introduced the university to the Austrian colleagues and its leading role in training highly qualified medical personnel who, after the end of the war, will be at the forefront of restoring the Ukrainian healthcare system. She emphasized the importance of cooperation with Austrian partners in general, in particular in the field of research and overcoming the problems of tuberculosis in children.

Head of the Department of Phthisiology and Pulmonology, Prof. Nina Matsegora noted a significant increase in cases of morbidity during the war, analyzed its causes and emphasized that the university is doing large-scale work in preparing students taking into account these challenges.

Dr. Florian Götzinger proposed several areas of cooperation at the initial stage:

1.Conducting online webinars.
2.Organizing and conducting 5-day visits of Ukrainian doctors to Vienna in order to practically study the experience of Austrian colleagues.
3.Providing the university with the opportunity to become a member of the European Tuberculosis Network (NW), which involves participating in meetings of control groups (check-groups), consideration of severe cases, etc.

This meeting was an important step in building an international partnership and laid the foundation for future joint projects. Cooperation with leading specialists from Austria is extremely valuable for ONMedU and Ukraine in general, as it allows us to combine scientific potential and practical experience to preserve children’s health and strengthen the healthcare system in the post-war period.