Current Challenges in Teaching Phthisiatry to Future Medical Professionals in Emergency Conditions

Currently, many countries around the world, including Ukraine, are facing an unfavourable situation regarding tuberculosis. Despite certain progress in combating this disease, tuberculosis remains one of the major problems both in our country and globally. Unfortunately, in most detected patients, tuberculosis is diagnosed at a late stage, which reduces the effectiveness of treatment even when modern chemotherapy methods are applied. Such patients pose a significant epidemiological threat to others, especially children. The situation is further complicated by socio-economic factors, migration processes, the spread of HIV infection and the increasing number of drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis.The training of a specialist physician who understands the situation in phthisiology is an important component of healthcare reform. Timely detection of tuberculosis makes it possible to treat the disease effectively and prevent its further spread. The development of professional competencies in future physicians should include knowledge of modern diagnostic methods, principles of rational therapy and prevention of chemoresistance.For this purpose, effective tuberculosis control is necessary (in particular, the creation of interdisciplinary models of treatment and care, since a patient with tuberculosis may have multiple comorbidities that can lead to a severe course of the disease). Cooperation between medical institutions of various specialities for the provision of medical care and the involvement of non-governmental organisations are also required.The issue of training specialists to combat tuberculosis remains relevant, as numerous unfavourable factors contribute to the persistence and sometimes increase in the risk of tuberculosis infection and progression of the disease into an «open», active form.Timely diagnosis and proper controlled treatment contribute to overcoming the disease. This can be achieved by well-trained specialists.Objective — to substantiate the necessity of teaching phthisiology in higher medical education institu­tions of Ukraine.