WMA offers support to Ukraine’s new health minister

The World Medical Association has offered its support to the newly appointed Minister of Health in Ukraine, Dr. Oleg Musij.

Dr. Musij, an anaesthetist and President of the Ukrainian Medical Association, has represented his country at the WMA in recent years.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Musij said: ‘The Ministry of Health of Ukraine faces many challenges that urgently need solving. The country has a poor economy and poor health care and to tackle these the Ministry has to take a number of organizational measures to work efficiently. Its main goal is to preserve and ensure the health of the Ukrainian nation. Despite the difficulties we face, health care reform must not stop’.

Dr. Otmar Kloiber, Secretary General of the WMA, said: ‘We offer our friend and colleague Dr. Musij our best wishes and full support in the difficult tasks he faces. These have been difficult months so far and it will not be easy in the near future.’

Dr. Musij, who has studied in Poland, the USA, Finland, Austria and Germany, has been chairman of the Kiev Medical Association and Vice-President of the World Federation of Ukrainian medical societies. He is a board member of the international medical organization – Southeast European Medical Forum (Southeast European Medical Forum, SEEMF, Bulgaria) and has been involved in drafting many of his country’s laws on health, professional self-government and self-regulation of markets.