From history till nowadays
Kharkiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education of Healthcare Ministry of Ukraine is one of the leading medical educational establishments of post-graduate education. Implementing of new medical technologies and doctors post-graduate specialization that exactly the main task of Kharkiv Clinical Institute for Improvement of Doctors, founded by order of the People’s Commissariat of Healthcare of Ukraine from the 10th of November 1923.
In a while the Institute opened numerous branches, in particular, in Kyiv, Dnepropetrivsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, which created a state network of a post-graduate training system for specialized medical personnel for Ukrainian Republic’s healthcare system. This was the boost for changing the name of establishment, which in 1927 became known as Ukrainian Central Institute for Improvement of Doctors.
Professor I. I. Finkelstein was appointed the first institute’s director. The first departments were the following: Department of Surgery (Professor F. Y. Rose), Topographic Anatomy and Operative Surgery (Professor A. V. Melnikov), Obstetrics and Gynecology (Professor A. M. Mamutov – Obstetrics, E. G. Shcherbina – Gynecology ), Therapy (Professor A. N. Gekhtman), Pediatrics (Professor S. M. Yampolsky) and General and communal hygiene (head of People’s Health Commissariat Sanitary and economic sector A. M. Marzeev).
Outstanding figures of national science participated in organization, growth and improvement of Institute’s work: incumbent members of Medical Sciences Academy, professors M. N. Solovyov, V. M. Zhdanov, E. A. Popov, associate member of Medical Sciences Academy N. P. Novachenko , professors M. I. Sitenko, A. M. Marzeyev, I. Z. Braude, A. M. Krichevsky, F. Yu. Rose, I. I. Makletsov and many others.
The Institute’s development is shown by the the Finnish nomenclature dynamics, for which training was carried out: but at the beginning of 1928, training was carried out in 13 specialties, in 1935-1936 – already in 54 specialties.
In 1937 the Institute changed its subordination, becoming the Ukrainian Institute Institute for Advancement of Physicians and acquired a double subordination: Council of People’s Commissars of Ukrainian SSR and USSR People’s Commissariat of Health. Doctors from other republics of that large country began to arrive in Kharkiv to study. Accordingly, establishment’s connections with scientific and educational institutions of other republics grew, adding great opportunities for scientific research development and educational programs. In particular, in the field of surgery, microbiology, military medicine. As part of the institute, a powerful military department was opened, the clinical base of which was military hospital of Kharkiv military district.
These changes also reflect institute composition indicators: in the pre-war 1940, there were already 180 teachers working here, including 30 professors. For 1939-1940 6062 doctors underwent retraining, during 1940 – 1500; and in total from the moment the institute was founded until 1940 – 9825 doctors. This made it possible to meet the needs of the healthcare system in qualified personnel of doctors, heads of departments and heads of medical establishments.
During occupation period: in 1941–1943 the Institute temporarily stopped its activities, and the departments’ personnel were evacuated together with Kharkiv Medical Institute to Orenburg (Chkalov). After Kharkiv was liberated from fascist invaders by the decision of Ukraine People’s Commissars Council from the 25th of September 1943 the institute renewed its activities.
Despite the post-war period difficulties re-formed team only in the first year of activity after the renewal has prepared 1300 people in courses. By the beginning of 1948, the number of departments had almost doubled compared to 1944.
From 1946 till 1953 the institute have trained: general practitioners – 1060, surgeons – 555, obstetricians-gynecologists – 370, orthopedic traumatologists – 275, phthisiatricians – 695, dermatovenereologists – 400, ophtalmologists – 220, otolaryngologists – 190. In the postwar period ( till 1962) there were trained – 29 340 doctors, which is three times more than in prewar period. The number of professors – teaching staff in 1967 increased to 187 people (25 doctors of medical sciences and 136 candidates of medical sciences).
The Institute’s rector of in the postwar period (1944-1971) was a prominent organizer of health care, Professor I.I. Ovsiyenko. He contributed to the creation of new departments at the institute – the first in our country and abroad. Thus, in 1949 the first department of endocrinology in Ukraine and the second in the Soviet Union was opened, in 1959 one of the first departments of thoracic surgery and anesthesiology began to work in the country (later the department of thoracic and abdominal surgery, founder – Professor O.O. Shalimov) , in 1962 the first department of psychotherapy and psychoprophylaxis in the USSR was established. The institute became the main in post-graduate medical education system of in the USSR for training of obstetricians-specialists in psychoprophylactic analgesia of delivering. During the period 1962-63 such 530 specialists were trained.
Up to the 50th anniversary of the institute, there were 40 departments and 2 courses – burn diseases and civil defense, which were combined into three faculties: therapeutic (15 departments), surgery (14 departments) and sanitary and hygienic (11 departments). The number of teachers was 227, including 33 doctors and 168 candidates of science. Outstanding professors V.K. Novrotsky, O.O. Shalimov, S.G. Genes, O.O. Korzh, M.A. Napadov, T.A. Starozhynska and others held the positions of Departments heads. For 50 years of activity in the institute 68 doctors and 249 candidates of sciences have been prepared.
From February to November 1971, the institute was headed by Professor M.S, Pushkar, and after him until 1976 – by Professor O.G. Filatov.
At the beginning of 1977 when Professor M.I .Khvysyuk was appointed as Rector of Ukrainian Institute for Advancement of Physicians, 24 departments of the highest priority disciplines have been established at the institute, most of which were established for the first time. Thus, for the first time in the Soviet Union, the departments of traumatology and vertebrology, neonatology, departments of emergency and urgent medical care, narcology, sexology and medical psychology, medical genetics and ultrasound diagnostics, reflexology, outpatient pediatrics and phytotherapy, clinical computer science and information technology in healthcare management were established.
The material and technical base of the institute has significantly improved. A new educational and laboratory complex was built, which included individual-designed administrative-educational buildings with a vivarium and auxiliary services and several new clinical bases in specialized medical buildings. A complex of dormitories for 1,700 people was built. One of the largest educational and clinical complexes in Ukraine was created under the leadership and with the personal participation of rector, Professor M.I. Khvysyuk.
In 1999 the Institute was renamed into Kharkiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education. The further development of the academy was characterized by organization on its base of College for bachelor-nurses training, the first in Ukraine Faculty of Healthcare Management and Faculty of General Practice – Family Medicine.
Since 2004 the Academy was managed by Professor O.M. Khvysyuk, by his participation departments of the highest priority disciplines of modern medicine were established or reorganized: anesthesiology, intensive care, transfusiology and hematology, combustiology, reconstructive and plastic surgery, genetics and fetal medicine, traditional and alternative medicine, heart surgery, main vessels and pediatric surgery.
Currently the Academy employs about 700 teachers and 11 researchers. Among them there are 39 academicians of branch Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 5 corresponding members of National and branch academies, 14 honored workers of science and technology, 18 honored doctors, 8 laureates of state awards, 1 employee of academy is an academician of a foreign academy. The scientific, pedagogical and research staff includes 144 doctors of sciences (119 professors) and 464 candidates of sciences (273 associate professors).
The Academy provides all types of training for doctors, pharmacists and specialists with higher non-medical education who work in the health care system both for Ukraine and abroad. Every year the academy conducts more than 1,000 cycles of advanced training attended by about 17 thousand students. Over the more than 90-year history of the academy, more than 300,000 doctors and pharmacists have been trained and advanced in its departments.
From 71 academy’s departments 62 are departments of clinical direction, treatment bases of which have become 10 scientific-research institutes of medical profile. The academy’s departments are located on 174 clinical bases of different departmental subordination, with which about 400 cooperation agreements have been signed. The total bed space is about 10 thousand beds.
The long history of Kharkiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Education are first of all, all outstanding scientific and pedagogical medical schools known far beyond Ukraine. Among such schools it is worth to note therapeutic (O.M. Gekhtman, S.G. Genes, G.M. Zakharovych, N.O. Sulimovska, N.I. Lukyanova, Y. D. Shulga, V.G. Pocheptsov ); surgical (O.V. Melnikov, F. Y. Rose, O.I. Meshchaninov, M.M. Shevandin, O.O. Shalimov, V.T. Zaitsev); pediatric (S. Y. Yampolsky, N.A. Dmytrova, N.N. Makarov, Y. V. Belousov); psychiatric (V.P. Protopopov, E.O. Popov, I.A. Polishchuk, S.D. Rasin, I.M. Apter, M.I. Pogibka, O.E. Lieberman); orthopedic and traumatological (M.I. Sitenko, M.P. Novachenko, O.O. Korzh); phthisiology (M.M. Sheinin, B.L. Yakhnis, B.Z. Bunina, A.G. Kiselyov, A.G. Khomenko); hygienic (V.I. Nedrigailo, I.R. Braude, D.N. Zabolotny, L.V. Gromashevsky, I.I. Feinschmidt, O.M. Marzeyev); radiological (J.G. Schliefer, O.A. Lemberg); otolaryngological (N.O. Moskovchenko); dermatological (O.M. Krychevsky, I.R. Popov, I.I. Mavrov); sexology (V.V. Cryshtal) and others.
For its glorious almost 100-year history, the academy has created, preserved and by all means multiplied scientific schools, dynasties, introduced advanced scientific and organizational forms of work, trained scientific and pedagogical staff. Today, the real luminaries of the medical profession worthily head numerous departments of the academy. Their scientific aspirations, professional knowledge, practical experience are a solid foundation of the medical academy, which stands guard over the health and life of our compatriots.
At the present moment the Medical College is operating on the basis of the academy providing advanced professional nursing education. The college has modern conditions for conducting educational process at the highest level. The diploma of junior medical specialist corresponds to the two-level standard of training of nurses accepted all over Europe.
A significant event of KHMAPO was opening of Medical Institute. After all, the acquisition of modern knowledge of European level in the educational, laboratory and clinical bases of the Academy, adapted to requirements of time, is really promising for entrants who have ambitious plans in educational medical and scientific national space.
B.A. Rohozhyn, Social medicine Department, management and business in health care.