Birth Defects Surveillance - There is great interest in this subject. Presently some very basic data is maintained by the Ministry of Health, but the Ukrainian physicians and scientists emphasized the importance of building an improved system and upgrading the quality of data. The Volyn and Rivne regions in Ukraine are among the areas where new on-going monitoring systems for birth defects are highly desirable. Birth Defects Prevention - This area is of significant interest to the Ministry of Health, especially to Dr. R. Bohatyrova, the Deputy Minister for Maternal and Child Health, to Dr. Barilyak, and the regional physicians and geneticists. Various programs were discussed, including the need for folic acid and reduction of tobacco and alcohol usage.
Financial support is critically necessary to propel birth defects surveillance and prevention.
Several visitors offered to participate in the development of funding proposals. A Ukrainian Alliance for Birth Defects Prevention will be registered to gain legal status. The Coordinator will be Dr. I. Baryliak and Dr. W. Wertelecki will serve as its International Liaison. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide ongoing technical assistance in the design and operation of Ukrainian birth defects surveillance systems. The European Alliance for Birth Defects Prevention will provide planning assistance and critique the proposed plan of the Ukrainian Alliance.