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DESPITE THE ONGOING violence in Ukraine an Irish funded team of cardiac surgeons is preparing to fly to the east of the Ukraine early next week to carry out operations on 60 children suffering from genetic heart defects.
The team is set to fly out next Monday and is made up of internationally renowned specialists from the US, Canada and Nicaragua.
The “mercy mission” is organised by Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International aid agency who state that the operations are so urgent the team are prepared to “run the gauntlet of daily shootings and killings in the secessionist pro-Russian border region.
Last month the organisation said the crisis was stopping children get life-saving operations, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Brendan Smith urging the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Éamon Gilmore to intervene in the matter.
Already the operations – twice postponed because of the high level violence in eastern Ukraine – may now go ahead if the volunteer multi-national team of surgeons, can succeed in flying into to the eastern city of Kharkiv.
The news has been greeted with delight by the parents and families of the children.
“They were crying for joy when they heard the team was preparing to fly in to carry out the operations,” said Dr. Igor Polivenok, of Kharkiv Hospital.
“There are no words to express our joy. This will give these children a real chance to live,” he added.
The surgery programme has been funded by the aid agency over the past ten years and since 2004, €3 million has been raised in Ireland to fund the programme.
The team are in the middle of “intense negotiations” to try to get the team safely in and out of Kharkiv.
Adi Roche said:
We know the situation throughout eastern Ukraine is still extremely dangerous but we feel that we cannot turn our backs on the children who so desperately need these operations.We discussed the possibility of moving them to either the Ukrainian capital Kiev or to Minsk in Belarus to have their surgery but logistically this proved to have many difficulties.
The team are hopeful that they will be able to make it in to the country next week, they said.
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Well done! That charity does outstanding work. Would love to volunteer with them at some point.
Ah just look at the face of little Pavel. Would melt your heart. Hate to see any little mite so ill no matter where they are from they are only babies!!!
Safe travels to all involved.
Fair play to these people…Hope it goes well for all and the kids get the treatment they need and deserve. (Can’t wait for the trolls to say this is more Western meddling, one would wonder why Russian charities don’t provide this care too)
Where are are all the Ukrainian and Russian surgeons?
‘Can’t wait for the trolls to say this is more Western meddling’ Rob of course has to introduce his personal bias into an issue that should be apolitical.You were the first one to do it Rob.You’re the troll.
Hopefully all these doctors will get there safe and return home safe and in between save all those little babies lives. Well done to them all
Fantastic work by very brave men and women. Some of those kids will have a life because of the choices those people made, you can’t argue with that.
The Kiev junta will hardly launch another attack while they are there.
Ah bless their hearts, so nice to see sometimes amidst the horror of this world some real genuine loving good people, amazing work guys, much love and respect :)
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