On 27 August 2024, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko met with Dr Svante Norgren, Head of the Division at the Astrid Lindgren Pediatric Clinics, Karolinska University Hospital. The main purpose of this meeting was to discuss the state and prospects of cooperation between the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden and the National Children's Specialised Hospital ‘Okhmatdyt’, which are twin hospitals and cooperate within the framework of the International Medical Partnership (IMP).

"At the end of last year, during a visit to Sweden, memoranda were signed between the Karolinska University Hospital with the National Children's Specialised Hospital ‘Okhmatdyt’ and Kryvyi Rih City Clinical Hospital No. 2. We already have the first results: our doctors are undergoing training, gaining new knowledge and improving the quality of medical care in Ukraine. Such cooperation is very important for us, as international medical partnerships allow us to develop the best solutions to overcome global challenges and threats, such as a pandemic or a full-scale war. I am grateful to our First Lady Olena Zelenska for her support of this initiative, which was launched last September in Kyiv during the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. At that time, 25 Ukrainian hospitals received foreign partners. Now there are 48 such partnerships, and all of them are already developing direct in-depth cooperation with each other, sharing experience and best practices in their respective specialisations," said the Minister of Health of Ukraine.

The participants of the meeting discussed the current cooperation between the National Children's Specialised Hospital ‘Okhmatdyt’ and the Karolinska University Hospital, as well as the potential assistance of the Karolinska Hospital in the reconstruction of the destroyed building of the Okhmatdyt.

The first results of cooperation within the framework of the IMP were also highlighted: in March 2024, four Ukrainian doctors completed an internship at the Astrid Lindgren Pediatric Clinics. This significantly improved their skills in important medical fields such as neonatology and intensive care.

In the future, it is planned to increase the number of Ukrainian medical professionals who will have an opportunity to undergo an internship at the Swedish hospital. These internships will help to improve the skills of Ukrainian doctors and improve the quality of medical services in Ukraine. In 2024, about 30 more Ukrainian doctors will have the opportunity to complete an internship at Karolinska University Hospital.

The participants of the meeting shared plans to expand cooperation and exchange of experience between the hospitals, as well as to assess the needs of Okhmatdyt for medical equipment directly with the doctors.