The ADONIS Medical Network (Kyiv) is launching a new format for professional collaboration—a free expert consultation for doctors dealing with complex or ambiguous clinical cases.
According to its press release, the consultation provides an opportunity to obtain a second opinion from the ADONIS team of specialists and jointly determine the next steps in the patient’s diagnosis and treatment.
“In medical practice, there are cases where test results or the opinion of a single specialist are insufficient to make a final decision. The patient may require additional tests, consultations with doctors from different specialties, or a review of the treatment plan already proposed. The consultation does not replace the attending physician but helps them obtain additional expert support,” ADONIS notes.
A delegation from the Japanese Red Cross and representatives of the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross (URC) familiarized themselves with the implementation of joint humanitarian initiatives in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
“As part of the visit, the delegation visited the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Clinical Cardiology Center and the Pohonya Psychoneurological Residential Care Facility, where they observed the work of a mobile medical team operating as part of the ‘Comprehensive Support for Primary Health Care in the Ivano-Frankivsk Region’ program in collaboration with partner Medics Opika,” – the UCC reported on Facebook on Wednesday.
The guests paid particular attention to the mobile medical teams’ visits to geriatric facilities in the region. The purpose of these visits is to provide medical care to palliative care patients who require constant medical supervision due to chronic and severe illnesses. During these visits, patients receive primary medical care, necessary consultations, and support from specialized professionals.
The delegation also familiarized itself with the activities of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross. During the meetings, they discussed the results of ongoing programs, experiences of cooperation, and prospects for the further development of joint humanitarian projects aimed at supporting the region’s population.
“Cooperation with the Japanese Red Cross is a vital component of the development of the Ukrainian Red Cross’s humanitarian and medical programs in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Thanks to the support of our partners, we are able to expand access to quality primary health care, develop the work of mobile medical teams, and provide comprehensive support to people who, due to their health condition, require special attention and care,” the Ukrainian Red Cross noted.
JAPAN, MEDICINE, Prykarpattia, RED CROSS, Ukrainian Red Cross
Surgeons and engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have used remotely controlled humanoid robots to perform surgery on live animals for the first time as part of a preclinical study.
This was not autonomous surgery: the surgeons controlled all of the robots’ movements from a console. However, the experiment marked an important step forward for medical robotics, as humanoid robots had not previously been used to perform full-scale surgical procedures on living subjects.
According to UC San Diego, two surgeries were performed as part of a preclinical trial, the results of which were published on July 8 in the journal *Nature*. In one case, the surgery was performed by a “human-robot” team: a humanoid robot operated under the surgeon’s control, while a human assisted. In the second case, the procedure was performed by two humanoid robots working side by side. Both surgeries were performed on pigs.
Ars Technica notes that the robots performed two invasive gallbladder removal surgeries on live pigs.
The robots are called Surgie. Unlike specialized surgical systems, such humanoid systems are more compact and can potentially be used in standard operating rooms without major renovations. UC San Diego notes that Surgie is about 5 feet tall and weighs about 60 pounds, whereas traditional robotic surgical platforms can weigh around 1,800 pounds and require a large team to set up.
According to one of the study’s senior authors, Professor Michael Yip, remotely controlled and, in the future, autonomous humanoid robots could expand access to surgical care in regions where there is a shortage of doctors and specialized infrastructure. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, believe that such systems could be useful in rural hospitals, field medical settings, disaster zones, and other locations where it is impossible to quickly deploy a full-fledged surgical center.
However, the researchers emphasize that the technology is still far from clinical application in humans. During the operations, the robots had to be recalibrated several times, which caused the procedures to take longer than when using specialized surgical systems. Another issue is the delay between the surgeon’s movements at the console and the robot’s movements, which is particularly important for future remote surgeries.
The main significance of the experiment lies not in the fact that robots replaced surgeons, but in the fact that a humanoid robot was tested in a real surgical setting for the first time. Researchers view the immediate future of such systems primarily as assistants: they can help in the operating room, hand instruments, perform physical tasks, and eventually take over part of tele-surgical procedures.
For the medical technology market, this could open up a new niche between traditional surgical robots and versatile humanoid platforms. If such systems become sufficiently precise, safe, and affordable, they could lower the barriers to robotic surgery in small hospitals and resource-limited countries.
Access to infertility treatment using assisted reproductive technologies under the medical guarantees program is an important support for Ukrainian families, but when choosing a clinic, patients should focus not on promises of results, but on the quality of the medical team, the laboratory, the transparency of the treatment plan and clear communication.
Assisted reproductive technologies, in particular in vitro fertilization, or IVF, are not a single procedure. This is an individually planned medical process that includes consultations, diagnostics, medication preparation, the embryological stage, safety monitoring and further observation.
The state finances infertility treatment using ART in medical institutions that have the relevant contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine. The medical guarantees program allows patients to receive such treatment free of charge if there are medical indications and if they apply to an institution that has a contract with the NHSU.
Within the program, specialist consultations, medication stimulation, ultrasound monitoring, egg retrieval, sperm preparation, in vitro fertilization, including with the use of ICSI, embryo cultivation, embryo transfer into the uterine cavity and monitoring of the patient’s condition until pregnancy is established may be provided.
The patient’s age at the time of the start of the cycle must be no more than 40 years. If the first cycle did not lead to pregnancy, the possibility of a repeated cycle during the year is determined by the conditions of the program and medical indications.
At the same time, the list of services, indications and organizational requirements may be updated. Before starting treatment, patients are advised to clarify with the clinic what exactly is included in the state package in a specific case, what studies may be required additionally and what decisions are made individually after a doctor’s consultation.
In reproductive medicine, the result of treatment is formed by the work of an entire team — a reproductive specialist, embryologist, andrologist, geneticist, anesthesiologist, ultrasound diagnostics specialist, medical coordinators and other specialists.
Experts emphasize that in this field it is unethical to promise a specific result. The probability of pregnancy and the birth of a child depends on the patient’s age, ovarian reserve, causes of infertility, sperm quality, the condition of the uterus and endometrium, genetic factors, previous reproductive history, the number of embryos obtained and other clinical circumstances.
Therefore, when choosing a clinic, patients should pay attention to the presence of a contract with the NHSU, the experience of the team, its own embryology laboratory, the quality management system, a transparent treatment plan, the possibility of genetic counseling according to indications, the availability of modern technologies, the quality of communication and the further medical route after embryo transfer.
The embryology laboratory has special importance. A significant part of the IVF process takes place precisely there: specialists work with eggs and sperm, carry out fertilization, cultivate embryos, assess their development and prepare them for transfer or cryopreservation.
It is important for patients to understand that the laboratory must work according to standardized protocols, ensure control of the environment and use systems that minimize the risk of errors when working with biomaterial.
Some additional technologies, such as time-lapse monitoring of embryo development or IMSI for more detailed morphological selection of sperm, may be useful in certain clinical situations. However, their use must be determined by medical indications and not be perceived as a universal guarantee of success.
Modern reproductive medicine may also include genetic counseling and preimplantation genetic testing of embryos. Such studies may be recommended in cases of known hereditary diseases in the family, carriage of genetic changes, chromosomal rearrangements in partners, repeated pregnancy losses or other medical indications.
At the same time, genetic testing does not exclude all possible medical risks and is not a guarantee of the birth of a healthy child. The decision to conduct it must be made individually after consultation with a doctor and a geneticist.
A comprehensive approach to infertility treatment may include additional examinations, correction of concomitant conditions, consultations with a geneticist, endocrinologist, gynecological surgeon or pregnancy management specialist. Therefore, for the patient, not only the availability of individual services is important, but also coordination between specialists, a clear treatment route and the preservation of medical documentation.
The Nadiya Clinic has been working in the field of reproductive medicine for more than two decades and provides services in Kyiv and Lviv. For patients considering treatment under the NHSU program, practical advantages may include the presence of a specialized team, an embryology direction, genetic counseling according to indications and a coordinated route from the initial consultation to further observation.
At the same time, the decision on treatment in any medical institution should be made after a personal consultation. It is precisely during the consultation that the patient can assess how clearly the treatment plan is explained to them, whether the specialists are ready to answer difficult questions, whether they take into account the individual history and how comfortable the communication with the team is.
Before the first consultation, patients are advised to prepare the results of previous studies, discharge summaries after operations or treatment, information about previous pregnancies, pregnancy losses or ART programs, if there were any.
It is also worth discussing in advance with the doctor the possible cause of infertility, the need for additional examinations, the stages that are included in the state package, possible additional decisions or expenses, indications for consultation with a geneticist, the procedure for communication with the team during treatment and realistic expectations specifically in a particular clinical situation.
The state infertility treatment program expands access to important medical care, but the quality of treatment depends not only on financing. It is determined by the accuracy of diagnostics, the coordination of the team, laboratory standards, honest communication and the patient’s right to receive clear information before every decision.
Nadiya Clinic is a medical institution specializing in reproductive medicine, infertility treatment and assisted reproductive technology programs. The clinic operates in Kyiv and Lviv, provides consultations with reproductive specialists and supports patients at different stages of treatment.
Ukrainian clinics have signed more than 100 memorandums of understanding as part of the international medical partnership program launched under the patronage of Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska.
According to the Ministry of Health, 26 of these memorandums were signed with medical institutions in France and are being implemented with the support of Expertise France, the French interministerial agency for international cooperation and development.
For example, as part of the partnership, the Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital is collaborating with the University Hospital of Lille, and the Chernihiv Regional Psychoneurological Hospital is collaborating with the University Hospital of Nîmes.
The Ministry of Health notes that in June 2024, the governments of Ukraine and France signed an intergovernmental grant agreement totaling 200 million euros, part of which is allocated to the healthcare sector and critical infrastructure: seven agreements in the healthcare sector have been signed, totaling 51 million euros. In addition, in 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified framework agreements between Ukraine and France on cooperation in the reconstruction and modernization of hospitals and in oncology diagnostics.
FRANCE, international partnership, MEDICINE, Ministry of Health
Lithuania is investing €15 million to strengthen the rehabilitation system and modernize the healthcare system in Ukraine.
According to the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA), which is implementing the program, the project is funded by the Lithuanian Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Development Fund and the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense, as reported to Interfax-Ukraine.
The program covers three strategically important rehabilitation centers—in Lviv, Dnipro, and Zhytomyr. Specifically, in Dnipro, the university hospital will receive a 34-bed inpatient rehabilitation ward with 18 rooms featuring modern physical and occupational therapy facilities, as well as a shelter for 80 people.
In Zhytomyr, the rehabilitation ward of one of the military hospitals will be modernized: 11 two-bed rooms, a shelter for 200 people, and solar panels for energy self-sufficiency during massive attacks will be added.
The project also supports the development of the UNBROKEN rehabilitation center in Lviv and its expansion from 70 to 120 beds through the construction of a third floor and a specialized rehabilitation pool.
“Today, international support for Ukraine continues, but it needs visibility. It is critically important for partners to see that their aid not only reaches its destination but is also visible, valuable, and important to Ukrainian society,” the CPVA notes.
