On November 23-25, 2017, a regular meeting of the Presidium of the European Board and the College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (EBCOG) was held in Brussels, Belgium. At the same time it is a section on obstetrics and gynecology of the European Union of Medical Specialists (Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes – UEMS). The Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Ukraine (AOGU) was represented by a delegation headed by the President of the State Medical Academy “AOGU”, the Academician of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Rector of Odessa National Medical University, Professor V.M. Zaporozhan at a meeting of the Board of this leading professional European society.  Interests of domestic obstetricians-gynecologists and P.L. Shupyk National Medical academy of Postdiploma education (NMAPE) were represented by the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the State Medical Academy Corresponding Member of the PO “AOGU”, Corresponding member of National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Head of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction of P.L.Shupik NMAPE, Professor Kaminsky V.V. and the Head of the Department for International Cooperation of the PO “AOGU”, associate professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology No. 1 of P.L.Shupyk NMAPE, assistant professor Tkachenko A.V. Traditionally, the EBCOG Board includes presidents and authorized persons of national associations and  societies of obstetricians and gynecologists from all EU Member States, the European Economic Area and a number of neighboring countries (today’s professional pharmaceutical companies from 37 countries) as well as heads of European associations of four, recognized by UEMS, sub-specialties in obstetrics and gynecology – the European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM), the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO), the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), and the European Urogynaecology Association – EUGA). AOGU has been a full member of EBCOG since 2008 and is actively involved in shaping the strategy of providing medical care to women in Europe.

This time, the issues raised at the meeting concerned introduction of the general European professional exam of EBCOG Fellows in Obstetrics and Gynecology (EFOG-EBCOG) as a tool for standardizing and assessing the quality of the training of obstetricians-gynecologists in the EU countries. Doctors who have successfully completed both parts of the exam (theoretical and practical) will eventually be recognized by all countries and associations of the European Region with the right to work (without additional requirements regarding the legalization and confirmation of diplomas about higher medical education and specialization). Some EU countries have already recognized EFOG-EBCOG as compulsory exams for their obstetricians and gynecologists after their residency. Work in this direction continues. Representatives of AOGU participated in the preparation of theoretical issues as well as were invited to work in the commission for the calculation of the pass mark and assessment of the theoretical part of the exam.

The results of the implementation of the “Quality Standards for the Provision of Medical Assistance to the Women’s Population in Europe” developed by all EBCOG Member States were also discussed. It was stressed that all national protocols, guidelines, normative documents, clinical guidelines, local algorithms, curricula, etc. should be created and / or reviewed, taking into account this document in order to harmonize and ensure the proper quality of medical care for mothers and children in the European Region, once again.

Much attention was paid to the completion of the All – European study program on the residency of obstetricians-gynecologists (PACT Project), the official presentation of which will take place during the next EBCOG Congress, which will be held on March 8-10, 2018 in Paris (France). The working group on the development of the curriculum submitted the documents produced and a general concept consisting of the list of necessary disciplines, theoretical knowledge and practical skills, which must be mastered by all resident physicians who intend to be certified in the chosen specialty in any EU country, including the number of study hours and modern approaches to learning processes and the assessment of the quality of the learning process for consideration by the members of EBCOG. The necessity of widespread use of simulation methods and  innovative approaches in the preparation and evaluation of doctors is emphasized, which is an integral part of the training of medical specialists of different specialties in all countries of the European Community and developed countries of the world at pregraduate and postgraduate levels. The funding of PACT Project is carried out at the expense of the targeted grant provided by the European Commission for harmonizing the quality and duration of training of doctors in different European countries and ensuring the free transfer and employment of medical workers among all member countries.

The results of the accreditation visits of the chairman and members of the Standing Committee on Training Recognition (SCTR) to university clinics and educational institutions of the EU countries were discussed. The Chairman of the Committee – Professor Juriy Wladimiroff reported that during the last 20 years EBCOG accreditation for the training of obstetricians-gynecologists has received more than 200 institutions in most European countries. During this time, the criteria of verification and evaluation dynamically changed taking into account the development of medicine, information and teaching technologies, the requirements of modern medical science and the expectations of society, with regard to future doctors. The Ukrainian delegation raised the issue of the preparation and implementation of accreditation visits of SCTR EBCOG to pilot schools and clinical establishments of Ukraine (ONMedU, P.L.Shupyk NMAPE, etc.).

The organizational issues and the scientific program of the next EBCOG Congress to be held in March 2018 were thoroughly discussed. For the first time in the history of the European congresses of obstetricians-gynecologists representatives of Ukraine have been invited to the scientific committee for the preparation and implementation of the most prestigious scientific forum of obstetricians-gynecologists in Europe. Under the authority of the President of the SI “AOGU”, Associate Professor Tkachenko A.V. is a member of the Scientific Committee for the preparation of  EBCOG Congress, 2018. All the participants of the meeting commended the work of the scientific committee and the proposed program of the event, which was reported to the members of the EBCOG Board, the Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Nuno Martins (Viseu, Portugal). About 70 of the most well-known and experienced scientists and doctors from more than 40 countries of the world have been invited to attend the congresses as conference lecturers and moderators.

The reports and annual reports have traditionally been made by the President, the Secretary General, the Treasurer, the Heads of the committees and the standing committees of EBCOG, the Presidents of the European Associations of Perinatal Medicine, gynecologic oncology, human reproduction and embryology, and urogynecology as well as representative of the President of the European Network of Trainees in Obstetrics and Gynecology – ENTOG).

The following day, the meeting began with the procedure for the appointment of a new President of EBCOG, Prof. Jacky Nizard (Paris, France) who was elected previously and became acting President of EBCOG. Dr. Tahir Mahmood (Edinburgh, UK) has become an acting Ex-President. Under the simplified election procedure, due to the lack of competitors, a new elected President of EBCOG was elected, Prof Basil C. Tarlatzis (Greece) as well as the new Treasurer of EBCOG, Prof. Dr. Diethelm Wallwiener (Germany). According to the standard procedure, 2 Executive Members of EBCOG were elected from the Central European and Eastern European regions. According to the EBCOG election procedure, if none of the candidates gains 50% + 1 vote, a revote is taken between candidates who have received more votes. The candidate in the first circle considered elected when he  had absolute majority of votes from more than 50 voters.

The election that a representative of the SI AOGU, Associate Professor Tkachenko A.V. of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology No. 1 of P.L. Shupyk NMAPE by the overwhelming majority of votes to be the new member of the EBCOG Board became a joyous and honorable event for the national association of obstetricians-gynecologists, which was made possible by the long and hard work of the President, the Executive Committee and the Department of International Cooperation of the SI “AOGU” over the past 10 years. For the second time in more than 20 years of EBCOG, a representative of the obstetrician-gynecological school of post-Soviet space became a member of the Board, and for the first time in recent history it was the representative of Ukraine, a pupil of P.L.Shupyk NMAPE, who is a disciple of professors Zaporozhan V.M., Kaminsky V.V., Vdovichenko Yu.P. and Golyanovsky O.V.

During the visit the delegation of SI “AOGU” to Brussels (Belgium) talks with the EBCOG leaders were also held to deepen cooperation with Ukraine in reforming the health system, improving the quality of obstetricians-gynecologists training, improving obstetric care to the female population of our country and bringing them closer to the existing European standards. From the Ukrainian side, the Academician of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, professor Zaporozhan V.M, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Professor Kaminsky V.V. and associate professor Tkachenko A.V. participated in the talks. The friendly atmosphere of respect, trust and understanding helped in elaboration further steps that should make the Ukrainian side in order to harmonize the training of doctors and implement European aspirations of our country with the support of the European colleagues.

It was decided that in the first half of 2018 accreditation visit of the Chairman and members of the Standing committee for evaluating the quality of education of EBCOG would be made to a university clinic and simulation center of Odessa National Medical University to assess the quality of the internship on obstetrics and gynecology as well as the results of the introduction of simulation methods in medical education. In case of successful preparation for the visit – an educational institution may be eligible to use the EBCOG logo on their letterhead in issuance of certificates of the internship on obstetrics and gynecology, which indicates compliance of training physicians with active European requirements. This may also be the first step towards passing the UEMS accreditation by simulation center, which is an official recognition of the use of simulation and innovative methods of training physicians on different specializations.

The next direction of interaction with EBCOG may be the meeting of representatives of the Eastern European region in Ukraine to present the results of PACT Project and discussion of the possibilities of introducing a pan-European program in the member countries for studying in the residence of obstetricians-gynecologists. It was agreed to hold this event in Ukraine and to involve government representatives, the Parliamentary Health Committee, representatives of international organizations and foundations that would be interested in providing technical, organizational and financial assistance for the implementation of this project of European-wide value.

EBCOG representatives emphasized the expediency of considering and conducting extensive discussions in the professional environment, the possibility of using the European-wide EFOG-EBCOG test as a final post-graduate exam (internship, residency, clinical residency, specialization, postgraduate course, etc.) for specialization in obstetrics and gynecology in Ukraine, as it is had already been made in a number of EU countries.

The Ukrainian delegation informed EBCOG leaders of the development of a tripartite Memorandum of Cooperation between the SI “AOGU”, EBCOG and the pharmaceutical industry on the launch of targeted scholarships for obstetricians-gynecologists in Ukraine to attend European scientific and educational events, EBCOG congresses, in particular, internships in leading clinics of the world, preparation for the EFOG-EBCOG examinations, participation in exchange programs between intern doctors and their colleagues from the European countries. The initiative was welcomed by all the participants of the meeting, and it was decided to develop criteria and procedure for the selection of doctors from Ukraine jointly to participate in the above-mentioned events.

In general, the trip to the capital of Europe seemed intense, but extremely productive, which gives us grounds to look optimistically in the future of domestic obstetric and gynecological science and postgraduate medical education.