A delegation of Ukrainian medical professionals learned about the various aspects of the American healthcare system earlier this month, stopping first in Washington, D.C.
The group, selected through a Congressional Office for International Leadership and Iowa International Center partnership, then traveled to Central Iowaw VA where they spoke with medical leaders, representatives and legislators.
“I hope we were able to impart VA’s approach to addressing the injuries of war and I hope it helped them in their efforts to scale Ukrainian health services,” said Darwin Goodspeed, VA medical center director, said in a release.
While in Iowa, the delegates heard presentations by VA medical professionals relating to care of veterans in areas such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, psychological first aide, military sexual trauma and prosthetics. They also toured surgical units with VA general surgery specialist Dr. Jamie Patel.
Dr. Hanna Batsiura, infectious disease specialist and assistant professor at Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in Kyiv, Ukraine, discussed the benefits of the partnership and how the lessons learned will help to move Ukraine’s medical healthcare systems in the future.
She emphasized the importance of learning about veteran-specific health care.
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“We will have many veterans when this war is over,” she said. “We’re going to use the information received here for innovations in our own practices but also spread this information as widely as possible.”
Medical professionals in Ukraine work without electricity or heat and through the harsh din of air raid sirens.
Batsiura described the comfort of sleeping well in Iowa for the first time in recent memory away from the war that she and her colleagues must live through. She also expressed incredible optimism about the future of medicine in Ukraine and gratitude for the partnership and support of the U.S.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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