NEWS AND VIEWS: Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund assesses Odesa's health care needs (07/24/05)

NEWS AND VIEWS

Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund assesses Odesa's health care needs

by Alexander Kuzma

ODESA - On May 26 and again on June 21, representatives of the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund visited area hospitals and government officials in Odessa to assess the critical health care needs of the region, and to plan a new hospital partnership program to improve maternal and children's health.

With the help of contacts made by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and Tetiana Gerasiutenko of Brooklyn, N.Y., the fund's representatives were was able to meet with high-level officials in the regional government and medical community. Dr. Zenon Matkiwsky, the chairman and co-founder of the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, and Alexander Kuzma, the fund's executive director, met with the newly appointed chairman of the oblast, Vasyl Tsushko, and Odesa Mayor Eduard Hurvits, as well as members of the regional health ministry and local experts on women's and children's health.

Local community leaders such as Appellate Judge Anatolii Luniachenko and Dr. Alexander Zelinskyi asked the fund to expand its humanitarian efforts to include modernization of the Odesa City Maternity Hospital No. 5, where thousands of mothers deliver their babies each year in outdated delivery rooms in often primitive conditions.

In 2001, the fund established a model neonatal intensive care unit at the Odesa Regional Children's Hospital (RCH) with the help of Olympic and world champion and Odesa native Viktor Petrenko. Over two nights, international skating stars from around the world performed in a charity gala performance that raised over $120,000 to purchase neonatal respirators, pulse oxymeters, infant warmers and other essential technology.

Within six months of the fund-raiser, the fund had completely refurbished the hospital's neonatal ward and installed state-of-the-art equipment that has helped to save the lives of low birth-weight babies and newborns suffering from respiratory distress and other severe complications. Since then, scores of children have benefited from this new technology. The fund also delivered three ambulances donated by American Medical Response. These vehicles have helped the Odesa hospital staff to rescue children from remote villages in Ukraine's largest geographic province.

More recently, under the leadership of Chief Doctor Oleksander Liman, the Odesa RCH has established a cardiac surgery program. This is only the fourth center in Ukraine that can perform open-heart surgery on young children with congenital heart defects. In its first year, the surgical unit performed 50 successful operations on such children. After its most recent "Viktory for Kids" skating benefit, the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund was able to purchase a cardiac ultrasound that will help cardiologists and surgeons more accurately diagnose heart defects and reduce the risk of complications or errors.

In his interview with local press and in meetings with Messrs. Tsushko and Hurvits, Dr. Matkiwsky stressed the importance of securing a greater commitment from local businesses and government agencies to upgrade conditions at Odessa Maternity Hospital No. 5. "The health of mothers and children is first of all the responsibility of the entire community," said Dr. Matkiwsky. "Viktor Petrenko has set a strong example for others to follow. The neonatal unit created in his honor shows what can be done in a relatively short period of time when people make a serious commitment to improving community health."

Mayor Hurvits and Chairman Tsushko both pledged their support for the initiative. When he served as a national deputy in Ukraine's Parliament, Mr. Tsushko played a leading role in appropriating funds for a children's cardiac surgery center in Kyiv. He was appalled to learn that the Odesa Regional Children's Hospital did not have a back-up electric generator and promised to install such equipment to ensure that children undergoing surgery or recovering in the intensive care unit would not be at risk during power outages.

Mr. Hurvits was a leading supporter of President Viktor Yushchenko during the Orange Revolution last winter. The mayor promised to mobilize reputable community leaders and philanthropists to show the very best aspects of Odesa's community spirit.

In June several Odesa businessmen, including Yaroslav Diablo of the Lasunia Dairy Corp. stepped forward to offer their support. The Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund is also negotiating with Western companies such as Amway to contribute funds and products to help improve health conditions in Odesa.

The health crisis in Odesa has reached grave proportions in recent years, as the port city has become a major center of the AIDS epidemic in Ukraine. Local health officials have developed a curriculum to educate high school students on the threat of AIDS and outreach programs are now reaching 70 percent of the school-age population. Many of the smaller villages and towns in the province, such as Ananiv and Ismail, suffer from very high infant and maternal mortality rates, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

Since 1989, the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund has delivered over $51 million worth of humanitarian aid and medical equipment to hospitals in 14 regions of Ukraine. The fund's medical aid efforts have led to sharp reductions in infant mortality in several of its partner hospitals.

This year, the fund is also expanding its efforts with major deliveries of hospital equipment to Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv and Chernivtsi.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, 272 Old Short Hills Road, Short Hills, NJ 07078. Volunteers are urged to call (973) 376-5140 or to visit the fund's website at www.childrenofchornobyl.org.

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