Serving Nephrologists and People Living With Kidney Disease in Ukraine – an Overview of the Ukrainian Association of Nephrologists by Its President
By UAN President Dmytro Ivanov
The first in a series of articles reflecting achievements and experiences discussed at a special ISN Affiliated Society Meeting held at WCN’23.
The Ukrainian Association of Nephrologists (UAN) was established in 2019 and became affiliated with the ISN in 2020.
Currently, the UAN has 224 members (there are about 400 nephrologists in Ukraine). The society serves both nephrologists and people living with kidney disease. It publishes the Ukrainian medical journal KIDNEY four times a year, which includes content for both doctors and patients.
The UAN holds two annual educational CME courses: the Renal Eastern Europe Nephrology Academy (REENA) and World Kidney Day (WKD) with ISN, ERA, and IPNA/ESPN speakers.
The UAN has developed efficient training plans to improve communication between doctors and patients. A clinic of excellence has been established where it is possible to conduct a kidney biopsy and obtain a conclusion from a pathologist within 24 hours, thanks to a digital pathology laboratory.
In addition, regular weekly courses and lectures are held online for doctors on a professional medical platform. In 2022, the Kidney Book, designed for patients, was translated into Ukrainian and widely diffused without charge. The UAN has also created a video school for patients on YouTube.
The war in Ukraine has significantly changed the nature of doctor-patient interactions. The UAN has created a powerful humanitarian program thanks to support from nephrology societies in Germany, Belgium, France, and Slovenia, and the ERA Task Force Ukraine and Direct Relief, a US humanitarian organization. This support has allowed patients to receive medicine, special meals, hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis chargers and batteries free of charge.
Direct Relief also sponsors Ukranian doctors to participate in international forums, and we received free registration and membership from the ERA, the IPNA/ESPN, and the ISN. We are very grateful for this support and appreciate this help very much.
