Canada-Ukraine Third Medical Aid Shipment

The third Canadian relief shipment of H1N1 medical supplies arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine on Wednesday, Dec. 2 on board Aerosvit Flight VV 132 from New York. The shipments were organized by the Canada Ukraine Foundation (CUF) in conjunction with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund (CCCF) subsequent to an urgent appeal by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada, Ihor Ostash.

The shipment, valued at $110,000, consists of urgently needed medical supplies including four state-of-the-art ventilators, 80 oxymeters (including 10 handheld oxymeters for post-natal infants), three capnographs, surgical masks, N95 respirator masks, isolation gowns, surgical gloves, face shields, bottle hand sanitizers, and other medical supplies. The supplies are designated for 24 hospitals in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernivtsi and Western Ukraine which

were hardest hit by the epidemic, among them three children’s hospitals. The shipment follows two previous ones valued at $180,000 which arrived in Ukraine two weeks earlier.

“Our focus is on people-to-people help, as the Canadian diaspora responds to the needs of the people of Ukraine. The shipments are going to specific hospitals that are still caught in a Soviet era health care system that is not equipped to handle a crisis like this,” commented CUF President Bohdan Onyschuk. “We are extremely grateful to Aerosvit, Air Canada and the Cole Group for providing the air transportation services for free, and to the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund and the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America for donating some of the supplies and partnering with us on this vital humanitarian aid project.”

Mr. Onyschuk further stated, “Ihor Ostash and the Ukrainian Embassy staff in Ottawa have also been terrific for their tireless efforts in fast-tracking the clearance of these shipments with Ukrainian Customs and Ministry of Health officials in Ukraine.”

CUF, which raised some $300,000 for the relief effort, continues to monitor the situation in Ukraine and is prepared to send additional shipments if needed.

To donate to the Ukraine Pandemic Appeal, visit www.cufoundation.ca, or mail donations to CUF, 203-952 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB Canada R2W 3P4.

More information and details on what is needed, how you can donate or help, visit www.ucc.ca or www.cufoundation.ca or contact Lesia Demkowicz at ucc@ucc.ca

or tel: (204) 942-4627.