On 17 May 2024 a meeting was held with representatives of the Italian Ministry of Health on the recognition of the qualifications of Ukrainian health professionals.
The meeting continued the work begun at the Forum of 27 March.
The outcomes of the meeting will be discussed at the Forum on Monday 20 May this year at 20:30.
How can you take part? Fill in the form and you will receive an invitation.
Here is the text of the letter:
No. 17 of 17.05.2024
To the Ministry of Health
For the attention of Dr Adriana Chiurato
Dr Maria Aiello
Subject: Summary of the problems concerning the Dichiarazione di valore.
Because of the state of war still in force in Ukraine, Dichiarazioni di valore are issued only in cases of proven necessity, with waiting times of up to 6 months. Moreover, to submit the request, the applicant must attend the Italian Embassy in person or authorise someone to do so on their behalf. This creates a further obstacle, as many applicants may be unable to travel to the embassy in person.
Another significant problem concerns translations. The Italian Embassy does not recognise sworn translations made at Italian courts and requires translations to be made by translators accredited by the embassy itself. This causes enormous financial harm to people who have already obtained apostilled documents with translations sworn at Italian courts, making those documents unusable without further costs and delays for a new translation.
In this context WE ASK YOU to take the necessary legal measures and replace the Dichiarazione di valore with the certificate issued by CIMEA, or make the two procedures equivalent.
Here are some of the main reasons:
Shorter timescales: CIMEA can issue certificates far more quickly than the Consular Office, allowing qualifications to be recognised sooner.
Accessibility: the CIMEA process is available online, so applicants can complete the procedure without necessarily having to travel to the embassy.
Official recognition: CIMEA certificates are officially recognised by Italian institutions, ensuring academic and professional integration without additional bureaucratic hurdles.
No restrictions on translations: using the CIMEA certificate removes the need for the additional, specific translations required by the embassy, saving time and money.
By adopting the CIMEA certificate, Ukrainian students and professionals could overcome the current difficulties caused by the war and by bureaucratic restrictions, ensuring a smoother path to the recognition of their qualifications in Italy.
Simplifying the recognition of Ukrainians’ medical qualifications in Italy is vitally important, because we are dealing with a valuable, qualified human resource. Such simplification would not only make it easier for Ukrainian health workers to integrate into the Italian health system, but would also help to address the challenges of the shortage of qualified medical staff.
Ukraine has a high-quality system of medical education, and many Ukrainian medical professionals are thoroughly trained and highly competent. Allowing a simplified process for the recognition of their qualifications in Italy means not only making the most of their potential, but also improving the overall quality of the health services offered in the country.
Furthermore, simplifying the recognition of Ukrainians’ medical qualifications could help to reduce shortages of health staff in certain areas or specialities, thereby improving access to health services for the Italian population.
This simplification effort should be seen not only as an act of solidarity, but also as an investment in human potential and in improving the health system as a whole. A smoother process for recognising Ukrainians’ medical qualifications in Italy would be an important step towards more effective international cooperation in the health sector.
We, the members of the Coordinamento Unitario delle associazioni degli ucraini in Italia (Coordination Centre of Ukrainian Associations in Italy), which brings together 32 associations that signed the Memorandum with the Consulate of Ukraine on 24.08.2023, as representatives of the Ukrainian communities, believe that Ukrainian doctors can be an added value for the Italian State.
We look forward to your prompt reply.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Lara Levchun, President of the Coordinamento Unitario
Mobile: 3472792432
PEC (certified email)
Website: congressouait.com
