KYIV. Aug 18 (Interfax-Ukraine) – More than 40 professional medical associations are preparing to revive the Federation of Public Medical Associations of Ukraine, which was set up in 1998, for involvement of the medical community in the settlement of many important issues related to development of the healthcare system.

President of the Federation of Public Medical Associations of Ukraine Viacheslav Kaminsky said during a press conference hosted by Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday that the first congress of the federation will be held in Kyiv on August 28.

"We want to unite efforts for cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada, relevant parliamentary committee, Health Ministry and professional doctors' associations in order to receive the right to participate in the development and introduction of common standards of providing medical assistance, social protection of medical workers," he said.

According to Kaminsky, the organizations which had founded the federation current form its base.

"There were 54 of them at that time, and today these are 41 active organizations. The federation is undergoing modernization and is open for all professional medical unions," he said.

The federation will focus, in particular, on important issues related to career guidance, vocational training and employment of medical workers, in particular abroad, as well as introduction of a contest system for professional and career development, support for the development of medical science, practice and medical education, coordination and regulation of alternative methods and models of private medicine through the creation, introduction and development of a public and state licensing system for medical activities.

Kaminsky also said the federation will be involved in the introduction of the mechanism of individual licensing for doctors, adding that this is not the key area of its activities.

"Today, there are a lot of important issues. The issues of licensing or re-certification of doctors are not the basic ones," he said.

Member of the Federation of Public Medical Associations of Ukraine Mykola Prodanchuk, in turn, said "the federation has set the task to not only support its members – professional associations – but also to provide its maximum assistance to the adoption and introductions of the law on self-organization of medical professions."

Member of the Federation of Public Medical Associations of Ukraine, Ukrainian MP of the 8th convocation Iryna Sysoyenko said the federation as a non-governmental organization, which unites public professional organizations, "will start discussions on the future law with the medical community."

She also said the federation will suggest creating a register of medical errors.

"This information is invaluable as this is data on which training of doctors and medical workers must be based and developed. Unfortunately, Ukraine does not have such a register so far," she said.

Secretary General the Federation of Public Medical Associations of Ukraine Andriy Tkachenko said the federation will use international experience in its activities.

"All activities of the federation will be based on the principles of internationals norms and standards," he said.