Procedure for Certification of Stomatologists (Dentists) and Maxillofacial Surgeons in Ukraine as of 2024: Analysis of General Provisions and Provisions on Certification Commissions

Abstract

Each country has different legislative features of continuing professional development (CPD) of doctors and corresponding state сertification. The purpose of this paper is to highlight and to make the quick analysis of two aspects of the Procedure for Certification of Stomatologists and Maxillofacial Surgeons of the Order of the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine dated February 22, 2019, No. 446 (as amended by the Order of the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine dated August 18, 2021, No. 1753). First aspect is General Provisions of the Procedure for Certification of Doctors and second ascpect is Provision on Certification Commissions. The General Provisions include seven clauses, and the Provisions on Certification Commissions include 11 detailed clauses. Clauses of the General Provisions include such topics as (1) the mechanism for the сertification of doctors, (2) tasks of conducting certification, (3) terminology, (4) types of certifications, (5) the List of medical positions in health care institutions, according to which certification is carried out, (6) the main place of work and part-time work during the certification, and (7) deadlines for submitting documents for the next voluntary certification. Clauses of the Provisions on Certification Commissions include information about (1) state bodies under which certification commissions are created, (2) the procedure for approving the personal composition of the certification commission, (3) composition of the Central Certification Commission, (4) composition of the certification commissions and its subcommittees, (5) the periodicity of renewal is not less than 1/3 of the composition of certification commissions, (6) quantitative composition of certification commissions at their meetings, (7) frequency of meetings of certification commissions, (8) the decision-making mechanism of commissions, (9) functions of the Central Certification Commission, (10) list of doctors certified by the Central Certification Commission, and (11) places of certification of doctors working in health care institutions that are part of the management of central executive bodies, other bodies where relevant certification commissions have been established. This certification procedure in Ukraine applies to doctors of all eight stomatological (dental) specialties, namely (1) doctors-stomatologists, (2) pediatric-doctors-stomatologists, (3) doctors-stomatologists-orthodontists, (4) doctors-stomatologists-prosthodontists, (5) doctors-stomatologists-periodontists, (6) doctors-stomatologists-therapists, (7) doctors-stomatologists-surgeons, and (8) maxillofacial surgeons (also known as maxillofacial doctors-stomatologists). Certificate of assignment of a higher qualification category to a doctor-stomatologist-surgeon in the specialty “Surgical Stomatology” (also known as “Oral Surgery”) has been added to the article for clarity. This article provides a detailed analysis of the translation of the General Provisions and the Provisions on Certification Commissions as two basic parts of the Procedure for the certification of doctors in Ukraine.