Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children's Hospital gets help from abroad (01/05/03)

Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children's Hospital gets help from abroad

SHORT HILLS, N.J. - The picturesque and historic region of Ivano-Frankivsk in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains has long been a favorite of tourists, hikers and collectors of folk art. Unfortunately, for many years, the pastoral scenery of the region has concealed a silent public health tragedy. For a variety of reasons, Ivano-Frankivsk continues to suffer from the highest rate of infant mortality in all of Ukraine. The abject poverty of the region may be the most likely cause, but many environmental factors are also suspected.

An unlikely shift of wind currents in 1986 deposited a significant amount of radiation from the Chornobyl disaster in the towns of Sniatyn and Bohorodchany. Soviet troops withdrawing from Ukraine in 1991 also left behind large stores of toxic wastes that have contaminated groundwater in several communities. A lack of access to medical services in many rural villages and the absence of appropriate technology have also hindered local doctors' ability to save the lives of many newborns.

This fall, thanks to a generous grant from the Ukrainian National Home of New Haven, Conn., the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund (CCRF) has launched a new partnership with the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children's Hospital to radically improve the chances of survival for newborns in the region.

In September, CCRF delivered the first installment of state-of-the-art neonatal equipment to help doctors at the IFRCH to provide effective treatment for life-threatening complications and to prevent brain damage resulting from respiratory distress. The fund delivered a neonatal care station complete with respirator, infant warmer, pulse oxymeter and other essential components. The fund also provided photo-therapy lamps to help treat the many cases of jaundice in newborns.

At a press conference on September 26, Dr. Radyslav Koturbash, the chief doctor at the IFRCH, thanked CCRF co-founders Dr. Zenon Matkiwsky and Nadia Matkiwsky for their support. Dr. Koturbash also prepared a personal certificate of thanks to Paul Paluha, the president of the Ukrainian National Home of New Haven, and Paul Czerepacha, the association's treasurer. Dr. Koturbash offered his gratitude on behalf of his staff and patients to all the members of the New Haven community who have supported CCRF. The UNH grant was made possible by the sale of two buildings that once housed the Ukrainian community center on Day Street. The New Haven Chapter remains one of the most active in the CCRF network. In recent years, the chapter has hosted a variety of successful fund-raising events, concerts and banquets to benefit CCRF, including an awards dinner featuring U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman.

Speaking at the press conference, Dr. Matkiwsky stressed that this was just the first phase in a series of aid projects that CCRF plans to implement at the Ivano-Frankivsk hospital. As quoted in the "Western Courier," Dr. Matkiwsky expressed the fund's deep concern about the steep drop in population in Ukraine. According to the U.N. Office of Population, Ukraine has already experienced a net drop of 2.5 million people, and could lose up to 40 percent of its population by the year 2040 unless current trends are reversed.

"Ivano-Frankivsk is a crucial front in the battle against infant mortality in Ukraine," said Dr. Matkiwsky. This will be the eighth neonatal center that the fund has equipped in Ukraine. Previously, the fund has enabled local doctors to improve infant survival rates by as much as 85 percent in Poltava, by 50 percent in Lutsk and by 46 percent in Dnipropetrovsk. CCRF's chapter in Rochester, N.Y. has also contributed $15,000 to support a second hospital in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.

On October 23, CCRF Executive Director Alexander Kuzma and Kyiv Office Director Olena Maslyukivska visited Ivano-Frankivsk to meet with hospital staff and to obtain their feedback on the quality and effectiveness of the equipment. According to Dr. Taras Melnyk and other doctors working with the neonatal unit, the new technology installed by CCRF has already had an impact in helping to save several newborn infants within the first month of operation.

Archbishop Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. also visited the neonatal unit at the Ivano-Frankivsk RCH, during a brief departure from his pilgrimage with 40 American Orthodox faithful across Ukraine. The Archbishop blessed the neonatal unit and each of the infants undergoing intensive care, and offered consolation to several parents concerned with the plight of their newborns. CCRF technical adviser Volodymyr Mitin of the Austrian-based firm NZ Techno provided training to hospital staff to ensure that they were well versed in all features of the new equipment.

"This equipment has already had a very positive effect on our efforts to save these babies' lives," said Dr. Melnyk. "It has also raised the spirits of our doctors, who finally have the tools they need to apply their skills to their greater potential."

The Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund is currently seeking additional funds to buy infusion pumps and respirators for the Ivano-Frankivsk RCH to expand its life-saving capabilities. Tax-deductible contributions may be sent to: CCRF, 272 Old Short Hills Road, Short Hills, NJ 07078.

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