by: Ron Culvera / March 3, 2022
As damages to facilities in Ukraine have been increasing these past few weeks, hospitals and other medical facilities had not been an exception to Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on the country.
On Tuesday, a Ukrainian maternity hospital in Zhytomyr was attacked through a Russian airstrike, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry. The attack had mothers and children fleeing to the basement of the Pavlusenko maternity hospital in the residential area, 90 miles west of Kyiv. The missile attack claimed two lives and destroyed the hospital. While Russia claims that the attack targets a military base and that the damage to the hospital is not intended, it has not been the first time a hospital was attacked in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. As reported by Ukrainian army correspondents, Russian airforces landed in Kharkiv and attacked a nearby hospital. As the rest of the Ukrainian population attempts to flee from the attacks, the patients of Ohmadyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, remain in the institution while the teams of doctors and allied health care practitioners resume care in the basement of the hospital. According to Dr. Volodymyr Zhovnir, the chief surgeon in the hospital, around 200 patients in care need immediate medical attention and cannot leave the clinic premises.
As attacks continue, medical supplies and other essentials are running low in Ukrainian hospitals, limiting the medical care that they offer, while war-related trauma cases increase. The following are ways to donate medical supplies and other essentials to the People of Ukraine:
ASEAN Countries
- Singapore Red Cross: Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Response. The Singapore Red Cross will donate US$100,000 for the cause through several organizations, primarily the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The proceeds will be used to provide much-needed supplies including medical kits and hygiene kits.
- See details here: https://www.redcross.sg/media-centre/press-releases/1122-singapore-red-cross-supports-communities-affected-by-ukraine-conflict.html
- UNICEF Philippines: Protect Children in Ukraine. As reflected in the plea of UN Secretary-General for a prompt ceasefire, UNICEF responds by extending help to the children affected by the Russian attacks. This fundraising means to fuel UNICEF’s emergency response including health, hygiene, and emergency education supplies adjacent to the line of contact of Ukrainian borders.
- See details here: https://donate.unicef.ph/campaign/ukraine
International Organizations
- Support Hospitals in Ukraine UA-07-057. Raises funds to send forty 40-foot containers to medical facilities in Ukraine such as in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia.
- See website: https://4agc.com/fundraiser_pages/e9aca7e4-13d5-4e67-b6bd-548f94822793#.YiGgunpBzZ-
- For more information: http://www.uahospitals.org/
- Sunflower of Peace, by Katya Malakhova. Fundraising to supply fully-stocked medical supply backpacks and first aid kits to paramedics and frontline doctors.
- Each back, contains bandages, gauzes, medical instruments, and hemostatic agents, and altogether has the capacity to save 10 lives.
- For more information: https://www.facebook.com/donate/507886070680475/
- Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund by Global Giving. Fundraising for humanitarian relief including medical supplies and other necessities.
- Jewish United Fund: Crisis in Ukraine. Delivers humanitarian aid to Jewish families in Ukraine
- Hromovytsia Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Chicago partnering with shipping company Meest-Karparty to ferry the much-needed medical supplies to Ukraine from Chicago.
- Supply drop-off point: Ukrainian Cultural Center, 2247 W. Chicago Ave.
- Schedule: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays