Doc rallies colleagues to deliver supplies to Ukraine medics
A UKRAINIAN doctor practising in the UK has teamed with his hospital operator, Circle Health Group, and Carmarthenshire’s Werndale Hospital to deliver more than 110 tonnes of urgent medical supplies across Ukraine.
In response to direct requests from Ukrainian doctors, Dr Sergey Tadtayev and Werndale Hospital, in Bancyfelin between Carmarthen and St Clears, are working with the Ukrainian doctors’ union (Ukraine Medical Association) and the British Red Cross to identify needs in warhit hospitals.
Consultant urologist Dr Tadtayev has rallied colleagues to gather 10 truckloads, including 200 pallets of vital kit and medical supplies, from across the group’s national network of 53 hospitals.
Ventilators, crutches, walking frames, respiratory masks, scrubs, bandages, wound kits, operating tables and other medical supplies have been stockpiled from Circle hospitals across the country and delivered directly to the doors of five hospitals covering north, south, east and west Ukraine.
Upon receipt of the urgent supplies, the hospitals distribute a portion to local community hospitals.
Millions of people have fled their homes since Russia invaded in the early hours of February 24.
A team of volunteer hauliers from the UK, Poland and Ukraine have made the journey weekly since midmarch to deliver urgent supplies, navigating their way through wartorn regions to reach the hospitals in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykoliav, Odessa and Lviv.
Circle Health Group has committed to continue the weekly delivery programme for as long as the supplies are required. The latest delivery contained £185,500 of medical equipment loaded on 35 pallets, including five ventilators, an operating table, patient monitors, suction tubing and chest-drainage sets, and sterile gowns.
Dr Tadtayev said: “My heart breaks for my fellow doctors back home who are fighting heroically to care for the sick and wounded – even as the bombs continue to fall.
“Hospitals are struggling to get basic supplies because transport and manufacturing have been so badly disrupted, so I knew I had to do something to help.”
He added: “Moving 100-plus tonnes of medical supplies between hospitals separated by thousands of miles and several borders has been an incredible team effort, and I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of my colleagues at Circle Health Group.
“They are moving heaven and earth to get help to those who
really need it on the frontline, and I am humbled by the solidarity and support for my homeland.”
Paolo Pieri, CEO of Circle Health Group, said: “It’s hard to know how to help in the face of such enormous suffering, but as a hospital operator and one of the UK’S largest employers, we knew we could provide unique support for hospitals caring for the sick and injured.
“Working directly with Sergey and his Ukrainian medical colleagues, we are able to understand their exact needs and get targeted aid to them directly in some of the most difficult parts of the country.”