From Online Classrooms to Operating Rooms | Exchange of Experiences Among the Healthcare Systems of Ukraine, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic

2026-09-01 13:20

In August 2026, a key phase of a joint project by medinklud and its international partners came to a close: 20 students from Ukrainian secondary medical schools, after completing intensive language training, visited hospitals in the Penta Hospitals partner network in Slovakia and Czechia. In this article you'll learn how this initiative came about, what we achieved together — and why the model we've built is a reliable bridge for exchanging experience, comparing healthcare-education and healthcare systems, and supporting the professional growth of medical staff.

Context: a bridge between systems

Healthcare systems in EU countries face an ongoing need for new, qualified staff. At the same time, thousands of experienced professionals from Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova and other countries are seeking to gain advanced European experience, raise their qualifications and build professional connections.

medinklud was created precisely so that this bridge between healthcare systems would not only exist, but work in both directions. The company's core activity is ensuring the smooth inclusion of foreign healthcare workers and organizing the full cycle of cooperation: from the transparent selection of qualified candidates and specialized medical-language training, to coordinating partner programs, professional visits and employment.

Our goal is for cooperation between the healthcare systems of EU and third countries to develop on the principles of respect, mutual benefit and the integration of innovative methods.

3 groups, 2 languages, 1 international project

In spring and summer 2026, together with our partners, we ran parallel language-course programs for healthcare workers from three Ukrainian cities — Khust, Kharkiv and Kyiv. Each group had its own target language, instructor, and an EU region with a partner clinic.

The core idea of the project was systematic language and professional training — as a tool for deeper understanding of local medical culture, exchange of experience, and a first step toward international cooperation.

149

participants in total
at the start

groups / 2 languages
(Czech + Slovak)

Future healthcare workers
on a professional study trip in the EU

Slovak-language courses — Khust

The project launched first in Zakarpattia. In cooperation with Khust Medical College, medinklud organized a specialized online course in conversational Slovak for healthcare workers.

Participants also got access to medinklud's proprietary e-learning platform, where they completed interactive tests, watched video materials and studied lexical databases.

FREE ACCESS TO COURSE MATERIALS FOR 3 DAYS

successfully
enrolled

academic hours
with native-speaking instructors

top graduates
traveled to Penta Hospitals Michalovce

The ten most active participants from the group visited the Penta Hospitals facility in Michalovce (Slovakia). They saw how a modern healthcare center is organized, appreciated the technological standards, and confirmed for themselves that professional dialogue with EU colleagues was well within their reach.

They also had the chance to meet and talk personally with Ukrainian staff working at this hospital, which opened their eyes even further to the possibility of their own future professional path in Slovakia.

Practical exercises on the medinklud interactive platform: immersion in Slovak grammar and analysis of real situations from medical practice.

Czech-language courses — Kharkiv and Kyiv

The Czech-language course was run in cooperation with the Threshold language school (Prague).
Online lectures were taught by instructor Nela Pochová, who quickly earned the trust of both groups. Thanks to her methodology and support, participants successfully overcame the language barrier.

enrolled
(Kharkiv + Kyiv)

successfully
completed the course

top participants
traveled to Czechia

Kharkiv

26 enrolled → 25 successfully completed the course
40 academic hours of instruction with a native speaker, focused on conversation and medical terminology
24/7 access to an online platform for studying and reinforcing material, including tests, video materials and lectures
5 top students, along with their instructor, visited a Penta Hospitals clinic in Roudnice nad Labem

Kyiv

31 enrolled → 26 successfully completed the course
40 academic hours of instruction with a Czech-language instructor, focused on oral communication and professional vocabulary
24/7 access to an online platform with tests, video materials and lectures for independent study and reinforcement
5 top students, along with their instructor, visited a Penta Hospitals clinic in Ostrov nad Ohří

Interactive exercises on the medinklud e-learning platform: practicing core medical vocabulary and the everyday duties of healthcare staff.

August 2026:
four days, two countries, one shared experience

August 17 — Prague: a shared start.
Both groups met in Prague for a joint breakfast with representatives of the Threshold language school. After meeting the instructors, an official meeting followed with the leadership of the Penta Hospitals CZ network, where this modern network of healthcare facilities was presented; both sides got to know each other in person, exchanged expectations and discussed possibilities for further cooperation.

August 18 — travel and getting to know the cities.
The Kyiv group traveled on to Ostrov nad Ohří, the Kharkiv group to Roudnice nad Labem. Along the way — walks, first impressions of life in Czechia, informal conversation.

August 19–20 — days at Penta Hospitals facilities.
The core part of the program. A full day and the first half of the next were spent directly in the hospitals: a tour of key departments, including operating rooms and intensive-care units, and an introduction to the technological equipment and work organization. Shared meals with staff became a space for genuine professional conversation.

It's worth noting: a visit to Penta Hospitals facilities is not just a tour — it's direct contact between professionals from different countries. Healthcare workers from Ukraine gained a deeper understanding of how a European hospital is structured, while clinic leadership was impressed by the participants' high level of motivation and language preparation. This kind of live contact lays a clear foundation for future joint projects and professional next steps.

Both language courses — Czech and Slovak — were designed so that the training would directly reflect real medical settings. Students didn't learn vocabulary in a vacuum — they prepared for the specific situations they would go on to actually encounter in the hospitals.

In participants' own words

"Thank you to your team for such wonderful courses, and to the instructor thanks to whom I fell in love with the Czech language, for her diligent work and her willingness to always help whenever something wasn't clear. The whole time, I studied with tremendous enjoyment."

— Kateryna, Kyiv (student)

"Thank you for organizing this and for the chance to get to know and love the Czech language. Special thanks to the instructors, who managed to find the formula for our students' success and motivated them toward further growth."

— Olena, Kyiv (coordinator)

"A very friendly atmosphere — even when you speak Czech as best you can, you feel like part of this wonderful family. I was really impressed by the technology and conditions at Penta Hospitals. The operating unit: fast, comfortable, minimalist, and a great environment to work in."

— Tymofii, Kharkiv (student)

"We would like to sincerely thank you all for a wonderful Slovak-language course. Your patience, professionalism and support meant a great deal to us. Thanks to your excellent lessons, we truly fell in love with Slovak. You were not just teachers to us, but a great source of motivation. Thank you for your time, your energy, and everything you taught us!"

— Nadiia, Khust (instructor)

The system that made it possible

Behind this result is the precise, coordinated work of an international network of partners:

medinklud — the architect and lead initiator of the entire project. We are responsible for building and running the whole chain of cooperation: shaping the concept and educational programs, connecting educational institutions, organizing group selection, ongoing monitoring of the learning process, and logistics for the international visits. Our e-learning platform became the central hub for communication and learning.

Penta Hospitals — one of the largest and most modern hospital and healthcare networks in Central Europe, one of the first to recognize the potential of this kind of cooperation. It fully funded the entire education and study-trip project, and its facilities in Roudnice nad Labem, Ostrov nad Ohří and Michalovce opened their doors to participants and gave them a unique hands-on experience.

Threshold (Prague) — a language school with strong expertise in teaching Czech to foreign professionals. It provided a solid methodological foundation and led the online lessons.

What we're building — and what we can offer you

Tento projekt dokázal, že systematické jazykové vzdelávanie v kombinácii so živým profesionálnym kontaktom vytvára efektívnu platformu pre spoluprácu zdravotníkov, vzdelávacích inštitúcií a zdravotníckych zariadení.

Pre nemocnice a zdravotnícke siete v EÚ, ktoré hľadajú kvalifikovaný zdravotnícky personál z tretích krajín, medinklud vyvíja a realizuje komplexný program „na kľúč“: od primárneho výberu kandidátov a špecializovaného jazykového kurzu až po organizáciu adaptačných stáží v klinikách.

Pre lekárov a zdravotníkov, ktorí chcú pracovať v EÚ, funguje konzultačné centrum, neustále sa zdokonaľuje špecializovaná jazyková príprava a rozširuje sa sieť partnerov. Pomáhame prekonať jazykovú bariéru, absolvovať adaptáciu a sebaisto komunikovať s kolegami z európskych kliník.

Pre medicínske vzdelávacie inštitúcie a školy z tretích krajín, ktoré chcú otvoriť medzinárodné horizonty pre svojich študentov a pedagógov, organizujeme spoločné vzdelávacie iniciatívy, programy výmeny skúseností, poznávacie cesty do kliník v EÚ a špeciálne kurzy odborného jazyka. To umožní vašej inštitúcii zavádzať pokrokové štandardy a upevňovať medzinárodné vzťahy.

Ak máte záujem o spoluprácu alebo vidíte spôsob, ako by sme spolu mohli zlepšiť nielen zdravotníctvo, ale aj svet ako taký, jednoducho nám napíšte na info@medinklud.eu a posnažíme sa vymyslieť, ako to zrealizovať.

A na záver ešte jedno veľké poďakovanie všetkým, ktorí sa na tomto úspešnom projekte akokoľvek podieľali !

This project proved that systematic language education combined with genuine professional contact creates an effective platform for cooperation among healthcare workers, educational institutions and healthcare facilities.

For hospitals and healthcare networks in the EU looking for qualified healthcare staff from third countries, medinklud develops and delivers a complete turnkey program: from the initial selection of candidates and specialized language training, through to organizing adaptation placements at clinics.

For doctors and healthcare workers who want to work in the EU, we run a consultation center, continuously refine our specialized language training, and are expanding our partner network. We help people overcome the language barrier, get through the adaptation process, and communicate confidently with colleagues at European clinics.

For medical educational institutions and schools in third countries that want to open international horizons for their students and educators, we organize joint educational initiatives, experience-exchange programs, study trips to EU clinics, and specialized professional-language courses. This lets your institution introduce advanced standards and strengthen international relationships.

If you're interested in cooperation, or you see a way we could work together to improve not just healthcare but the world at large, just write to us at info@medinklud.eu, and we'll do our best to figure out how to make it happen.

And finally, one more big thank-you to everyone who took part in this successful project in any way at all!