Professor Andriy Stasyshyn, Head of the Department of General Surgery at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, completed a two-week internship at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (United Kingdom). This was made possible thanks to the partnership between Lviv Region and Norfolk County.

Norfolk is the first British county with which Lviv Region signed a memorandum of cooperation. Last May, the head of the Lviv Regional State Administration, Maksym Kozytskyy, and the head of Norfolk, Kay Mason Billig, signed an agreement on cooperation in various fields, including healthcare.

Norwich, the administrative center of the county, is home to Norwich Research Park, one of Europe's largest research clusters specializing in developments in medicine, nutrition, agriculture, and other fields. The park also houses the University Teaching Hospital, one of England's leading medical institutions.

Last fall, during a visit by a delegation from Lviv to Norfolk, initial contacts were established between Lviv Medical University and the hospital in Norwich.

“The partnership between our institutions began with several months of communication,” said Andriy Stasyshyn. “On the British side, representatives of the consulate and hospital participated, and on our side, the rector, vice-rectors, and department heads participated. Communication was coordinated by our university's Department of International Relations and European Integration. We discussed various areas of cooperation, including internships for Ukrainian doctors.”

The professor specializes in minimally invasive and robotic surgery. He performed Ukraine's first robotic surgery using the da Vinci system, a modern surgical technology that allows complex procedures to be performed with maximum precision and minimal intervention.

“In Norwich, about 10,000 surgical procedures are performed each year, of which about 1,000 are robotic,” said the professor. "Several da Vinci systems are in operation there, and this particular field-thoracic, coloproctological, and abdominal surgery-coincides with my professional interests. So the university supported my initiative to go on an internship, and we agreed on the program and terms."

British doctors warmly welcomed their Ukrainian colleague.

“They really wanted everything to go smoothly,” says Mr. Stasyshyn. “They put together a detailed two-week program for me, with a list of procedures for each day. I chose the ones that interested me most.”

The schedule was quite intense.

Every day from 7:30 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m., I was in the operating room. I observed surgeries, especially robotic procedures. Robotic surgery is a system consisting of three main components: the surgeon's console, which the doctor works from, the patient console — the robot's “arms” that are connected to the operating table, and the visualization system that transmits images to monitors throughout the operating room. Since it is a university hospital, there are two surgical consoles, one of which is for training. I had the opportunity to sit at it. It was very informative."

The da Vinci system installed in the British clinic differs from the one the professor works with in Lviv:

"We have an older version, while England has a newer generation that is technically more advanced: improved coordination, more convenient settings. But I was most interested in the new surgical techniques that British colleagues use for complex pathologies. You can't find such things on YouTube — you have to see them live, talk to a specialist, and understand the logic of their work. I am satisfied: I learned everything I wanted to know."

The professor also noted the high level of organization in the local operating rooms:

“Everything is provided at the highest level — from equipment to consumables. Five to six nurses are involved in each operation, changing every two to three hours.”

The doctor paid for the travel expenses out of his own pocket.

"At first, I planned to cover my own accommodation costs, but when I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised: the hospital provided me with free accommodation in a dormitory. These are small two-story houses next to the clinic, where relatives of patients or medical interns usually live. The room was small but comfortable—a bed, a table, a wardrobe, and my own bathroom. Meals were organized through vouchers, which I could use in the dining room."

The professor exchanged contact details with his British colleagues and the management of the hospital and research center.

"They have many areas that are of interest to our medical university, including endoscopy: they have one of the largest centers in Europe, performing over 40,000 endoscopic procedures per year. They conduct research in oncology, antibiotic therapy, and nutrition. For their part, the British are interested in our experience in treating combat injuries, as they have virtually no such patients. I invited them to visit us, and they have provisionally agreed."

Andriy Stasyshyn emphasizes that such internships are extremely important for Ukrainian medical professionals.

“Without sharing experiences, it's tough to roll out new tech and treatment methods,” he says. “You gotta see how it works around the world, especially in top clinics in Western Europe, and then adapt these practices in Ukraine.”

Professor Stasyshyn's positive internship experience has prompted deeper cooperation between Lviv Medical University and its British partners. The university's Department of International Relations and European Integration is already preparing a cooperation agreement with Norwich Research Park.

"For our university, cooperation with this research cluster is a big step forward. It is not only about academic exchanges, but also about creating a common scientific space where Ukrainian and British specialists can work together on medical research, develop innovations, and implement best practices in the educational process. Such interaction will contribute to improving the quality of medical education in Lviv and open up new opportunities for professional growth for our students and teachers," said Orest Chemerys, rector of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University.

Iryna Butynets, Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Lviv Regional State Administration, notes that the development of international partnerships in the field of medicine is one of the priorities of the regional administration.

“We are sincerely grateful to our British partners for their warm welcome and support for our doctor. Such examples of active cooperation are very valuable. They build trust and create contacts that eventually grow into lasting partnerships,” says Ms. Butynets. "We are doing everything possible to ensure that such contacts continue to grow. After all, this is not only about the professional development of our doctors, but also about deeper involvement of Lviv region and Ukraine in the European scientific and educational space."