On the subject of ophthalmic surgery staffing in Ukrainian hospitals

Abstract

Most cases of blindness are reversible according to WHO. The wide distribution of visual impairments, in particular those related to eye injuries and retinal detachments (RD) in the world and in Ukraine, indicates the need to study the issues of organizing medical care for ophthalmic surgical patients in order to find out why all the possibilities of preserving the sight of the population are not used and to suggest ways improvement of the situation. The study was conducted with the aim of studying the staffing of ophthalmology departments for the implementation of urgent vitreoretinal surgical interventions for the population of Ukraine. Analyzed data from ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and PubMed scientific publications on vitreoretinal surgery, regulatory and legal acts of Ukraine, statistical data of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, WHO publications and guidelines, data from analytical reports of international organizations (in particular, the USAID project "Support for health care reform", 2019). It was established that the number of medical personnel (including ophthalmologists) per 10,000 population is gradually decreasing, which does not correspond to the growth trend of ophthalmosurgical pathology. The obtained results indicate insufficient monitoring of the situation by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Based on indirect evidence, we established the absence of vitreoretinal surgeons even in large regional hospitals of Ukraine. It was concluded that the correction of this situation can have a positive effect on the quantity and quality of the provided ophthalmic surgical care for eye injuries and RD. Keywords: eye injuries, blindness, retinal detachment, vitreoretinal surgery, ophthalmic care management.