The journey to having our medical qualifications recognized in Germany took nearly 4 years. It was a period of tremendous effort, resilience, and overcoming bureaucratic hurdles on a scale we could hardly have imagined beforehand.
Initially, the German language seemed to be the biggest challenge. However, this phase went very quickly — here, everything depended purely on self-discipline. Committing maximum effort, I progressed from basic German to C1 Medizin in 9 months and received my temporary license to practice (Berufserlaubnis) in April 2023.
To avoid losing years waiting for a lengthy equivalence assessment (Gutachten), I chose to take the state medical licensing examination (Kenntnisprüfung) directly. In September 2023, I successfully passed the exam, and in November I was granted my full medical license (Approbation).
It seemed only the final step remained: to have my surgical and clinical experience from Ukraine recognized to qualify for the specialist exam (Facharzt). Yet it was precisely here that we encountered the greatest resistance. The processing of documents by the Ärztekammer dragged on for 1 year and 7 months, ending in a total refusal to recognize my surgical training. During an in-person meeting, we were bluntly told that doctors from Ukraine were "not doctors" to them, completely dismissing 20 years of clinical experience and the fact that I was already actively operating and training hospital staff in Germany.
Faced with such open bias and discrimination, we refused to give up and filed a formal appeal (Widerspruch). Thanks to the tremendous support and strong advocacy from our gynecology department, the Marburger Bund medical association, and a series of detailed letters to the leadership and personally to the President of the Ärztekammer, we succeeded in overturning the decision and obtaining admission to the exam.
In January 2026, my wife Viktoria (also an obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive specialist) and I successfully passed the Facharztprüfung!
The natural culmination of this victory was the recognition of our clinical experience and my appointment as Senior Physician (Oberarzt) in the Department of Gynecology. Never give up!

Long-awaited onsite congress and a wealth of information, only positive emotions, a smooth return to the pre-COVID period, albeit with certain innovations.

ESGE Day 1.

• Fertility sparing, or preserving the possibility of pregnancy and childbirth, in ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers.
• The role of laparoscopy in gynecological oncology.
• Adenomyosis. Updated classifications, surgeries for removal of local and diffuse adenomyosis, new treatment regimens.
• A lot of robotic surgery and augmented reality. Modern medicine is actively being enriched by technological advancements.
• Prototypes of new laparoscopic instruments. Outpatient hysterectomy.
• Stryker cameras for open surgery. Broader application of vNOTES.

ESGE Day 2 and 3.

The program was packed with live surgery. Widespread use of shavers, ultra-thin bipolar resectoscopes. When asked about using monopolar hysteroscopes, surgeons replied that they had long abandoned them.

The pelvic organ prolapse treatment section is unimaginable without presentations by Revaz Botchorishvili. This time the presentation was on complications in prolapse surgery, which I enjoyed listening to once again. Smooth return to mesh usage, further developments in using knee tendon autografts as a mesh replacement.

Esmya replacement - GnRH antagonists and safe 2-year combined treatment regimens.

Yesterday marked the end of the first significant global congress in minimally invasive gynecology this year: Endo Dubai 2021, held over 5 days online. The last 2 days were also available onsite. Most presentations, as expected, were interesting and full of modern research and approaches.

On the first day, the program was dedicated to surgical treatment of endometriosis: approaches and techniques for treating deep infiltrative endometriosis with bowel involvement, nerve-sparing approaches on the pelvic floor. In the adjacent "room", treatment of C-section niches was discussed. Relevant and interesting topic to me: surgical treatment of adenomyosis was also presented on day 1.

On day 2, a team of doctors from the US shared their experience in treating chronic pelvic pain, while in a parallel "room", methods to increase surgical safety were discussed. Over 2.5 hours were spent discussing pelvic organ prolapse treatment: alternatives following the ban on mesh implants in Europe and the US, new techniques and approaches. With great pleasure, I listened once again to presentations by Pr. R. Botchorishvili, Pr. M. Cosson, Pr. B. Gabriel.

On day 3, a dedicated session was devoted to genital malformations. Once again reviewed L. Adamyan's report on creating a neovagina in Rokitansky-Küster syndrome. I use a similar approach in my own practice. Still haven't gotten around to uploading videos of my own surgeries. At the end of the day, for the 3rd time, I watched Dr. P. Pasic's report on complications in laparoscopy. No surgeon is immune to complications, and this topic is especially important for practicing doctors.

Day 4 was dedicated to robotic surgery and augmented reality during operations. Today, for my own practice, these are dreams... In the second half of the day, I dedicated time to an anatomy course. Listened to presentations on the anatomy of the 4 spaces in pelvic dissection. Individual speakers presented on each of the spaces, and this time everything was laid out more than "crystal clear".

Day 5 and the last day featured presentations on hysteroscopy and hysterectomy. Speakers paid a lot of attention to tips & tricks and revealed the subtleties of their successful operations.

More than satisfied with the congress. But the online format and staying in Kyiv prevented full immersion. Even with canceled appointments at work, I was in the OR daily, missing part of the presentations. Now I will catch up and rewatch the recorded presentations.

2020 is the year of the Covid-19 pandemic and the year of online congresses. I was able to participate in congresses of the Indian Association Of Gynaecological Endoscopists (IAGE) as well as the 3-day annual congress of the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE). I also attended several masterclasses and webinars with Dr. M. Malzoni and Pr. R. Botchorishvili.

The congress was planned to be attended in Portugal, but this year is special. 2020 - the year of online congresses...

Day 1. In search of new knowledge, techniques, ideas...

Day 2... Medicine nowadays develops by leaps and bounds: robotic surgery, Senhance system, augmented reality during operations. At the congress, you can not only see innovations, but also try them in practice yourself.

Day 3 was devoted to pelvic floor prolapse treatment, operations for correction of genitourinary developmental anomalies. New interesting treatment techniques were presented in reports.

Day 4. Reports on adenomyosis treatment, networking with colleagues.

Prof. Stefano Bettocchi spoke about new approaches in uterine septum treatment and the upcoming arrival of new instruments.

Prof. Stefano Bettocchi spoke about new approaches in uterine septum treatment and the upcoming arrival of new instruments.

Endo-Dubai, day 1. Surgical marathon.

Especially liked the statement: "more is not better".

Especially liked the statement: "more is not better".