First Canadian H1N1
Medical Aid Leaves for Ukraine
The first two Canadian relief shipments of
H1N1 medical supplies left Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on
the evenings of Monday, Nov. 9 and Tuesday, Nov. 10 bound for Kyiv, Ukraine. The shipments were organized by the Canada
Ukraine Foundation (CUF) in conjunction with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress
(UCC) subsequent to an urgent appeal by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada,
Ihor Ostash.
The shipments consisted of
some 9,000 pounds of urgently needed medical supplies that included masks,
surgical gowns, disposable gloves, hand sanitizers, oxymeters and assorted
other medical goods and equipment. Future
shipments will include antibiotics, anti-virals and other medications that are
currently in short supply in Ukraine.
Bohdan Onyschuk, President
of CUF, expressed his particular gratitude to Health Partners International for
donating a large part of these supplies, as well as to Air Canada and
Cole Freight Inc. for providing transportation and freight forwarding services
for these shipments at no cost. Ihor
Ostash and the Ukrainian Embassy staff in Ottawa
were also praised for their tireless efforts in fast-tracking the clearance of
these shipments with Ukrainian Customs and Ministry of Health officials in Ukraine.
The initial shipment was
accompanied by Ostap Hawaleshka, the former President of CUF, who will work
with Ukraine’s
Ministry of Health to coordinate future shipments and ensure they are
distributed in Ukraine to
areas of most need.
The flu outbreak has reached
pandemic proportions in recent days in Ukraine,
with over one million Ukrainians affected and more than fifty thousand
hospitalized. The latest statistics
issued by Ukraine’s
Ministry of Health, and confirmed by World Health Organization (WHO) officials
currently working in Ukraine,
indicate that 189 people have died in the first week of November. Although it is difficult to say how many of
these deaths are due to the H1N1 flu strain due to a lack of adequate testing
facilities, most experts suspect the flu to be the primary cause of death. The
rapid spread of the flu has prompted the government to close all schools in Ukraine,
cancel public events, and impose travel restrictions.
Fund raising efforts within
Canada’s
Ukrainian community are continuing, with Bohdan Onyschuk indicating that the
Canada Ukraine Foundation is hoping to raise between $200,000 and $300,000 over
the next week to fund future shipments.
For more information and to
donate, contact: Canada Ukraine Foundation - Bohdan S. Onyschuk, tel.:
416-369-4574, email bonyschuk@cufoundation.ca
Ukrainian Canadian Congress
- Darla Penner, tel.: 204-942-4627, email dpenner@ucc.ca