OPEN LETTER
2023
30th ZEVA SYMPOSIUM OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN CHAMBERS OF PHYSICIANS

Dear Minister,
Dear Mr Radutsky,

The Central and Eastern European Chambers of Physicians are united by their similar structures, which have historically taken on this form in Central and Eastern Europe. Although the role of medical chambers is defined differently from country to country, medical self-governance is an essential feature of all our healthcare systems. All medical chambers take on the different tasks that are delegated to them by their respective governments. You can find a brief overview of Central and Eastern European Chambers of Physicians on the following website:
www.medical-chamber.org/about_self_governance.html

With this in mind, the undersigned medical chambers from Central and Eastern Europe and the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) are extremely pleased that a law is also being drafted in Ukraine – a nation that is currently enduring great hardship, but also strengthening its self-assertion – that would pave the way for the creation of a system of medical self-governance.

We had the opportunity to discuss this bill with medical representatives and parliamentarians from Ukraine on several occasions in 2023.
We understand that the draft bill proposes two medical chambers, one for general practitioners and one for specialists.

We strongly advise against establishing two medical chambers in one country. It is true that physicians have different workplaces, whether that be in the outpatient or inpatient sector. They also have different specialties and provide primary, secondary, or tertiary care. However, what unites us all is that we are part of a profession that is built on a foundation of uniform training. Our professional identity is shaped by a unified ethical framework.Physicians need to be able to speak with one voice.

A medical chamber represents all the physicians in its country, not only at home, but also in European and international medical bodies. In most cases, these bodies only permit one member association per country, as is the rule in the most representative body of European physicians, the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME).

We therefore appeal to you to consider establishing a single medical chamber to represent all physicians in Ukraine. In order to find a balanced representation of general practitioners and specialists in one chamber, solutions can be found within the chamber’s structure. This is how it is practiced in many European countries. The various specialist associations will certainly continue to exist and fulfill other tasks, as they do in our countries.

In our experience, it is important that political bodies have one point of contact when it comes to matters relating to the medical profession, and that point of contact is the medical chamber.

We are delighted that you have chosen to strengthen your healthcare system by establishing a system of self-governance, and that you are approaching this task with such determination. We offer you encouragement as you continue to pursue this endeavour. Each country must cater such a system to meet its own needs; however, we hope that we have also been able to draw your attention to some of the experiences we have learned from in our own respective countries. We would also be happy to review the full draft of the legislation in question and to provide more detailed comments to help facilitate integration of the Ukrainian Chamber of Physicians into the EU family of medical chambers. You may contact one of the undersigned medical chambers or the international department of the German Medical Association with questions or comments: international@baek.de.

We look forward to welcoming a new Ukrainian medical chamber to our ranks in the very near future! Slava Ukraini!
Yours sincerely,