The aim of the three-day open seminar "Medical Insurance: Experience of the EU Countries", held from the 18th till the 20th of May in Kyiv Medical Academy of After-graduate Education named after P.L.Shupik within the EU project "Health Financing and Management" was to familiarize specialists of different levels engaged in health financing and management with experience of the European Union countries. The seminar was not just to familiarize the mentioned specialists with international experience in the sphere of medical insurance but also to help to avoid mistakes made by other countries in the process of introduction of medical insurance. The seminar fulfilled its main tasks, such as:

  • support of the discussion of the conception of mandatory medical insurance;
  • support of the further directions of the Project and
  • spreading of the information about the Project among the concerned specialists.

At the seminar foreign experts demonstrated the process of introduction of different systems of medical insurance and the way of their functioning in other countries. Countries represented at the seminar had different experience. Czech Republic, Poland and Estonia reformed their systems in 90-ies, and the fact that is of great importance for Ukraine is that their systems of health care were similar to that of Ukraine. Germany, that is transforming its system of health care, is to introduce alterations due to the general aging of the population that causes growth in costs for existing system of health care that is relevant to Ukraine as well.

Open seminar included plenary sessions, work groups in the form of "round tables", presentation of the work groups, final discussion and statements, final plenary session. The main topic for discussion was introduced at the plenary session, detailed discussion was held in the work groups that comprised specialists interested in some aspects of the topic.

After the seminar the participants were given the questionnaire the aim of which was to assess the seminar and given materials by the specialists on the matters of financing and management that work in the sphere of health care in Ukraine.

The main tasks of the questionnaire:

  • To give overall assess of the seminar;
  • To assess usefulness of the given materials and possibility of their further usage in the job of the participants.
  • To find the most important topics of those that were discussed at the seminar and topics for further measurers of the Project.

The questionnaire was held in the written form after the seminar (plenary discussion and final speech of the facilitator prof. I.M.Soloneko the Head of the Department of the Health Care Management of the National Academy of State Administration to the President of Ukraine).

During the last day of the seminar, on the 20th of May 32 registered participants were given the questionnaires. Employees of the Project received 24 filled questionnaires.

To the question "What is your overall evaluation of the seminar?" - 95% respondents gave positive answer: excellent (54%) and good (41%) and there was no negative evaluations. Such evaluation of the seminar is possible due to the high professional level of the prepared material and given information.

95% respondents are sure that they will be able to use received information in their professional activity and none of them is sure he won't. In their explanations respondents emphasized the following facts as the most important:

  • Information received at the seminar;
  • Possibility to discuss problematic matters with Ukrainian colleagues and foreign specialists-experts of the Project;
  • Possibility to shape agreed view on further development of the processes aimed at improvement effective financing and management in the sphere of health care.

Respondents pointed out that topics concerned experience of the EU countries and analysis of possibilities of usage of the effective normative legal base of Ukraine for introduction of new models of financing and management were the most important topics of the seminar. Presentations concerning experience of Estonia and Poland were named as the most interesting and important, as systems of the mentioned countries were similar to that that exists in Ukraine.

As far as topics of the future seminars are concerned, 41% of the respondents would like to hear the reports of the international experts and to discuss financial and economic aspects of health care system and introduction of the medical insurance. The participants would also like to study the experience of the close neighbours of Ukraine that is Moldavia and Russia in particular. They are also interested in studying experience of some regions of Ukraine that have already made some steps in introduction of the medical insurance and in more detailed studying of the effective normative legal basis of Ukraine.

Proposals of the participants of the seminar will be used in drawing out future measures within the Project. For example, the next seminar "Assess of the Medical Services Costs" will take place in the city of Kyiv in September 2004; the aim of this seminar is to define financial aspects of the system of health care and of those connected with medical insurance in particular. In October the seminar on the matters of contracting will be held.

In the part "Other Comments" alongside with thanks for the organizing the seminar the participants state the necessity of involving officials of the Ministry of Health to the seminars, plenary meetings and discussions in the work groups and of elucidating materials of the seminar.

The seminar will become an important step in planning and organizing of the seminars and trainings within the Project. The project thanks to the participants who appraised the seminar so highly.

Appendices:

  • Conclusions of the questionnaire;
  • Reports on the results of work in the groups;
  • Final resolution of the seminar;
  • Press publications.