The European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Lung Foundation (ELF) have been supporting the respiratory community in Ukraine to provide a platform for sharing experiences with a European network of organisations and to ensure that voice of the Ukrainian respiratory community is heard in Brussels.
In December, a conference took place in Lviv, Western Ukraine, bringing together 48 participants. This included patients with respiratory diseases, carers and doctors from different regions of Ukraine to discuss the most relevant issues for the respiratory community. The event, organised by Lungs Europe, a partnership of ERS and ELF, together with Pulmonary Hypertension Ukrainian Rare Disease Association (PHURDA), focused on lung health risk factors and vaccination, transplantation and the patient journey, clinical trials and patient care.
During the event, Lungs Europe presented the European Patient Ambassador Programme, which is now available in Ukrainian, and also gave a short training on how to use the patient voice to influence policy, which is part of the EPAP modules available online.
Two new surveys were also launched to understand the needs of the respiratory community in Ukraine. The surveys are open till mid-January.
At the end of the meeting, patients noted that they had improved their knowledge of the risk factors that affect lung health and better understood how to advocate for themselves and unite to influence health policy. One of the patients who came from the Southern region of Ukraine noted that such meetings help patients to unite and be heard.
The Ukrainian Respiratory Coalition, which brings together civil society, healthcare professionals and scientists to improve the respiratory health of Ukrainians, established as part of the International Respiratory Coalition in September 2024 with the support of Lungs Europe, will continue educational and capacity building activities for patients and healthcare professionals to ensure the continuity of support for the Ukrainian respiratory community.
In Kyiv, a Lungs Europe representative also met with the leadership of the Public Health Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, a government agency responsible for maintaining and promoting public health, epidemiological surveillance and biological safety.
The discussion focused on the possibility of promoting the European Patient Ambassador Programme using the resources of the Public Health Centre and creating a joint public survey on respiratory health awareness among the Ukrainian population. The Public Health Centre constantly conducts information campaigns on public health issues and keeps the respiratory health of Ukrainians as a priority.
Thanks to the support of the European Union and the involvement of partners in Ukraine, Lungs Europe can engage directly with the respiratory community and public officials in Ukraine and work collaboratively to improve the health of Ukrainian citizens.
The Lungs Europe enterprise number is 0738.383.695
