SURGEONS LAND IN EASTERN UKRAINE TO CARRY OUT LIFE-SAVING OPERATIONS DESPITE THE BACKGROUND OF THE CRISIS
Against all the odds, an Irish funded international surgical team has got through the strife-torn Ukraine and landed in Kharkiv today to provide life-saving cardiac operations for more than 60 critically ill children. The mission has been organised by Irish humanitarian aid agency Adi Roche's Chernobyl Children International.
The team of internationally renowned specialists - from the US, Canada and Nicaragua - will begin carrying out the urgently needed operations,funded by Irish donors, on children suffering from genetic heart defects in the eastern city of Kharkiv today (Tuesday).
The volunteer multi-national team of surgeons will be led by the renowned US surgeon, Dr. William Novick, Founder and Medical Director of the International Children's Heart Foundation (ICHF) who pioneered the 'mercy missions' to Ukraine where 6,000 babies are born with heart defects each year.
The surgical team of 7 includes Frank Molloy, a specialist cardiac nurse with English roots now working in the US and Dr. Kathleen Fenton, originally of Washington DC, now living in Nicaragua.
Dr. Novick, Adi Roche, CEO, Chernobyl Children International and Dr. Igor Polivenok, Head of the Cardiac Unit at Kharkiv Hospital, are delighted that the operations will go ahead today.
Dr. Novick said "It has been a difficult decision to go ahead with the mission and there are risks involved but we could not put the operations off any longer. We have to keep these children alive".
Adi Roche, said "We are so grateful to the surgical team for taking a personal risk travelling to Kharkiv to save the lives of children who, without surgical intervention, would not survive. We are hoping for a successful outcome to this mission".
"We were so disappointed when the operations had to be twice cancelled because of the volatility and instability in Eastern Ukraine but it is such a relief that the team has arrived safely in Kharkiv and can now begin saving lives".
Dr. Igor Polivenok of Kharkiv Hospital has expressed his joy at the team's return. "This is something magical and unbelievable! These children are our treasures and now there is hope that they will live. The restoration of these life-saving missions' gives us all hope for life", Dr Polivenok said.
In April, the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine forced the suspension of the life-saving cardiac surgery programme for a second time this year. Of the 6,000 babies born with heart defects in Ukraine each year, 50 per cent are not operated on because of lack of facilities and qualified medical teams in Ukraine. Without cardiac surgery the children, who need complex open heart operations, have little hope of living beyond 5 years. Since 2004 more than €3 million has been raised in Ireland to fund the programme organised by Chernobyl Children International.
"У нас есть свобода, но не осталось времени" Dolores ORiordan 