The Institute for Virology and Institute for Medical Microbiology, UDE, support the Poltava State Medical University (PSMU), Ukraine, in establishing a center for the detection and treatment of infectious diseases. To achieve this goal, Ukrainian physicians and laboratory staff from Poltava Regional Infectious Hospital and PSMU have been trained through the seminars at the Essen University Hospital.
The next step in cooperation was the development of the Grant Partnership Project to provide diagnostic equipment for clinicians and researchers in Poltava. On the German side, the most active participants were Professor Ulf Dittmer, the Director of the Institute for Virology, Gennadiy Zelinskyy, and Project Coordinator Ursula Schrammel. On the Ukrainian side, Professors Igor Kaidashev and Tetiana Koval, as well as Irina Shkurupii were involved in the preparation activities. The culmination of this effort was the signing of the Agreement for project implementation by the university rectors, Professor Barbara Albert and Professor Viacheslav Zhdan, along with the leadership of the hospital, Torsten Kaatze.
The first equipment for immuno-fluorescence studies, MiniVidas, has already arrived at PSMU and the infectious hospital. Currently, the next delivery has been received – the microbiological analyzer VITEK 2.
The funding for the project aimed at the reconstruction of the effective virological and microbiological diagnostics in Poltava was provided by the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ). This project is part of the emergency program for Ukraine supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).