HHS Secretary Meets with the First Lady and Minister of Health of Ukraine

May 30, 2006 - The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Honorable Alex M. Azar II, Deputy Secretary of HHS, met with the Honorable Kateryna Yushchenko, the First Lady of Ukraine, and the Honorable Yuriy Polyachenko, the Ukrainian Minister of Health, to discuss collaboration in health. During the meeting, Secretary Leavitt and Minister Polyachenko signed a Statement of Cooperation, which affirms the partnership between the two nations in the areas of biomedical research, health care delivery, and public health.

Among the major topics of the meeting were the spread of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, the HIV/AIDS crisis in Central Europe, and recent health care and social reforms in Ukraine. Secretary Leavitt announced that Ukraine is eligible to respond to an HHS multi-country Request for Applications (RFA) for pandemic influenza preparedness activities, and asked for Ukrainian support in the fight against highly pathogenic avian influenza and HIV/AIDS.

The group also discussed specific programs such as HHS/National Institutes of Health cancer studies among survivors of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, and an upcoming study tour sponsored by HHS and the U.S. Department of State for Ukrainian junior health professionals, which will offer the participants the opportunity to travel to the United States to learn about health care modernization, health information technology, and adoption policy.

Last revised: December 10, 2007