« »

Kateryna Yushchenko Takes Part in a Roundtable on Medical and Social Rehabilitation for Children with Special Needs

February 2, 2008, the International Rehabilitation Clinics (Truskavets) hosted a Social Partnership for Children’s Health roundtable on medical and social rehabilitation for children with special needs. The event was organized by Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Fund as a part of the Joy of the Childhood: Free Movements program.

Among the roundtable participants were Head of the Supervisory Board of the Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Fund Kateryna Yushchenko, Minister for Healthcare Vasyl Kniazevych, Minister for Family, Youth, and Sports Yuri Pavlenko, Minister for Education and Science Ivan Vakarchuk, Minister for Labor and Social Policy Liudmyla Denysova, Head of the VR Healthcare Committee Tetiana Bakhteyeva, Head of the Retirees, Veterans, and Disabled Committee Valery Sushkevych, Deputy Head of the Family, Youth, Sports, and Tourism Committee Kateryna Lukyanova, TNK-BP Commerce Company President Serhiy Lizunov, TNK-BP Commerce Vice President Serhiy Dorozhkin, Head Children’s Neurologist at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Volodymyr Martyniuk, Head Physician with the International Rehabilitation Clinics Volodymyr Koziavkin, Advisor to Head of the Supervisory Board of the Ukraine 3000 Fund Andriy Myroshnichenko, Head of the Fund’s Board of Directors Oleksndr Maksymchuk, Head of the Fund’s Medical dept. Vira Pavliuk, neurologists, representatives of the central and local governments and businesspeople.

The participants of the roundtable discussed a number of issues related to medical and social rehabilitation for children with special needs, in part, with cerebral palsy. The key note of all speeches was the need to combine efforts from the state, NGOs, business structures, and medicine to work out a systemic approach to the urgent needs of the disabled children and creating conditions for their social adaptation. “We can discuss the problems of creating a unified system of medical and social rehabilitation for people, primarily children with special needs,” Mrs. Yushchenko said in her speech.

She also described the Ukraine 3000 Fund’s work in the area of supporting children with cerebral palsy, the Joy of the Childhood: Free Movements program carried out jointly with the TNK-BP Commerce Company. “We believe that together with our partners we were able to create an interesting and efficient model of a charitable program aimed at solving the problem of rehabilitation and support for children with cerebral palsy systemically,” she added.

Mrs. Yushchenko outlined the challenged the Joy of the Childhood: Free Movements program had faced in course of its implementation, namely, lack of a unified rehabilitation system for children with cerebral palsy, the fact that the system of providing for children with special needs was dispersed among various state structures, and dissociation of medical and social rehabilitation.

“Implementing our Joy of the Childhood: Free Movements program, we have seen possibilities for efficient cooperation between various constituents of our society – state bodies, business, and NGOs. We are certain that such form of cooperation alone is able to provide the best possible results, since only this way the problem will be solved on the systemic level,” Mrs. Kateryna said.

The first part of the roundtable was dedicated to the situation in Ukraine around rehabilitation and treatment for children with special needs. Dr. Martyniuk presented a brief analysis of problem issues in the sphere of children’s rehabilitation. Dr. Koziavkin described the attainments of his hospital and positive experience within the framework of the Joy of the Childhood: Free Movements program. President of the Social Policy Institute Andriy Shevtsov outlined the block of measures needed to created an efficient aid system for children with special needs. Head of the Yevpatoriya Children’s Clinics and Resort at the Defense Ministry of Ukraine Anatoly Nenko spoke in detail about the challenges of rehabilitation and treatment of children with cerebral palsy.

In the second part, ways of solving the problems set by the experts on state level were under discussion. Ms. Bakhteyeva said that the state had never stayed idle concerning the cerebral palsy problem. She emphasized the need for clear state policy in cooperation with charitable and public organizations in solving this problem, enumerating the steps the authorities should undertake to support actions, aimed at improving the situation around rehabilitology in Ukraine, on the state level.

The ministers present at the roundtable presented their view on this problem in the context of their ministry’s work.

In part, Health Minister Kniazevych proposed to create an interim committee to study issues related to the support of children with special needs. Minister Kniazevych added that the level of that discussion demonstrated that civil society was evolving in Ukraine.

Education and Science Minister Vakarchuk said that creating a rehabilitation space would become possible only when the society was prepared to this. In his opinion, enlightening the society should be stimulated by steps from various government bodies, which would create an interferential effect.

Labor and Social Policy Minister Denysova said that her ministry has labeled the issues of people with disabilities as one of its priorities. In her words, what’s most important is securing possibilities for comprehensive development for such people in the Ukrainian society. Minister Denysova also advised to involve into the discussion representatives of the Ministry for Ecology.

Family, Youth, and Sports Minister Pavlenko emphasized that his ministry was concentrating on work with families raising children with special needs. He informed the audience that seven centers had been created in Ukraine offering service for such families, quoting their work as highly efficient.

All ministers speaking at the event agreed with Minister Kniazevych’s proposal to create an interim committee to improve situation around rehabilitation and treatment of children with special needs.

Head of the Lviv Oblast State Administration Petro Oliynyk proposed to make roundtables on rehabilitation for children with special needs an annual event and hold them at the International Rehabilitation Clinics in Truskavets. He said that the rehabilitation method by Prof. Koziavkin was one of the world’s most advanced, expressing his hope that these forums would become an international event.

President of the Friends of Children International Charitable Organization Maryna Krysa recalled that many children with special needs, in part, cerebral palsy, live in orphanages and boarding schools. She urged upon representatives of the authorities, business, and NGOs to remember these children and acknowledge their responsibility to them. Ms. Krysa said that these children, deprived of parental care and love, require social and medical supervision even after coming of age.

Specially invited guest, Vice President of the International Child Neurology Association Prof. Milivoj Velickovic. He presented a medical education project initiated by ICNA together with Head Physician with the International Rehabilitation Clinics Volodymyr Koziavkin and Head Children’s Neurologist at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Volodymyr Martyniuk. The project is scheduled for 2009 and envisages two stages: a neurologists’ congress in Yalta (major topics – epilepsy, cerebral palsy, etc.) and conducting educational courses in Kyiv. Prof. Velickovic said that ICNA was able to provide knowledge and experience which would help solving problems broached during that meeting. In return, Minister Kniazevych said that the Ukrainian party was prepared to consider possibilities for implementing the project.

Mr. Lizunov said that socially responsible business, represented by the TNK-BP Commerce Company, shouldn’t ignore social problems. He described his company’s cooperation with Ukraine 3000 Fund, saying that, implementing the Joy of the Childhood: Free Movements Program, its organizers wer able to create a new technology for helping children with cerebral palsy, combining the experience of state structures, business, and NGOs. “Only through united effort shall we be able to change the cosiety’s attitude toward this problem,” Mr. Lizunov said, adding that the potential of the contemporary Ukrainian business was huge, and corporative social responsibility programs should be extended and help the society to solve its urgent problems.

The roundtable participants resolved to draft an address to the Ukrainian government, including all proposals voiced at the roundtable, and suggest creating an interim workgroup to study possibilities for improving the situation with rehabilitation and treatment for children with special needs. The workgroup will work with problems of rendering high quality medical and social rehabilitation to children with special needs and work out a concept of uniting efforts from the state, business, and NGOs in solving these issues.

Mrs. Kateryna Yushchenko summarized the results of the roundtable, thanking those present for a fruitful discussion and expressing hope that all the proposals would be implemented.

The Ukraine 3000 Fund’s and TNK-BP Commerce Company’s joint program, Joy of the Childhood: Free Movements, was launched in May 2006. As a part of this program, children from various Ukraine’s regions can undergo a rehabilitation course at the International Rehabilitation Clinics (Truskavets). At present, 824 children with various forms of children palsy have already gone through such course. The program also envisages grant competitions for treatment and rehabilitation institutions for children with cerebral palsy, children’s talent competitions, and publishing a specialized magazine. The program is scheduled for 4 years with 4,000,000 hryvnias annual budget.