State Institution “Institute for Children and Adolescents Health Care at the NAMS of Ukraine” – pages of history and modernity

Abstract

The State Institution “Institute of Children and Adolescents’ Healthcare under the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine” (SI “ICAH of NAMSU”) is a multidisciplinary research, diagnostics & treatment, organizational & methodological center, the activities of which have been always responding to the most urgent needs of the contemporary healthcare. Functioning of this center has been always directed on solving the top priority tasks in the field of healthcare for school children and youth, including: prevention of chronic non-infectious diseases during childhood and adolescence; maintenance of the reproduction potential and of the psychological health among children and adolescents; prevention of the negative impacts from the educational process upon the health of school-age children and studying youth; scientific substantiation of the efficient use of new inventions in the related field; medical assistance for the patients of childhood and adolescence age under the conditions of healthcare sector reforms. As per the determined functions, the Institute is the only research institution of such specialization in Ukraine today. During the last decade, the state of health among Ukraine’ population of childhood age has been subject to negative changes: the morbidity rate has been growing along with the number of diseases, including non-infectious somatic pathologies. The share of healthy children of the school age does not exceed 5–10 %. Therefore, timely detection of the diseases of endocrine, reproduction, bronchopulmonary, cardiovascular, osteomuscular systems as well as of kidneys and liver becomes of vital importance. Attention should be particularly focused on the children and adolescents from the ATO zone and those suffered from the military actions, on the state of their psychological health and physical development. An important direction in maintaining and strengthening the health of children from the military conflict zone is the application of principles of the medical & psychological assistance based on organizational, curative and preventive measures carried out by the PI “ICAH of NAMSU”. The Institute’s personnel will be directing their further efforts towards solving the most acute and most socially important issues related to reformation of healthcare for children and adolescents below 18 y.o. as well as on the development of advanced medical technologies for diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation of children and adolescents. Key words: children; adolescents; psychological health; psychical development; medical & psychological assistance.