Facing financial difficulties and lacking crucial equipment, the public hospitals of Kyiv need to rely on charity organizations. This summer, the Kyiv Lions Club charity organization donated $66,000 worth of medical equipment to three area hospitals.
Most recently on Aug. 25, the group donated an ELISA analyzer, a device that can diagnose a variety of infectious diseases, including HIV, in a matter of minutes, to the Kyiv City Children’s Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases.
The hospital, having a capacity of 120 beds and the ability to treat 5,000 children per year, usually takes patients from disadvantaged backgrounds, like orphans who are often exposed to such diseases as tuberculosis.
Such equipment was “much needed,” Tetyana Kominska, the head doctor of the hospital, said of the new ability to increase the children’s chances of survival. Because infectious diseases reach high levels in Ukraine, and become more and more resilient to antibiotics, the hospital plays a crucial role in treating patients.
Although medical care in Ukraine is supposed to be free, due to budget constraints and an inefficient system, the state only provides less than $0.50 a day for medicine per child. Actual costs can rise to Hr $91 for intensive care treatment, however.
As a solution, the hospital has set up a solidarity fund to accept donations to treat the poorest who need it the most but who cannot afford it.
Before receiving the ELISA analyzer, the hospital didn’t have enough money to quickly diagnose patients, and had to send samples to private laboratories, which was prohibitively expensive and caused further delays.
The Lions Club also gave a $29,000 high-tech ultrasound platform on July 14 to the Kyiv City Center for Pediatric Neurosurgery. It provides advanced imaging that vastly improves patient diagnosis. On Aug. 3, a $7,400 SpO2 sensor compatible with magnetic resonance imaging equipment was delivered to the Medical Center of Child Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery. It is used to monitor the life functions of babies during MRI examinations.
“We don’t pay for disposable items, individual projects, administrative fees, (or) transportation,” Irina Jahn, head of Lions Cub Donation Committee, told the Kyiv Post in an emailed message.
The group instead prefers to aim for “a long-lasting effect in society.”
Founded in 2003, the Kyiv Lions Club is part of the international network of the Lions Clubs, a secular business charity organization founded in Chicago in 1917. The philanthropic organization promotes values such as success, friendship, fidelity and assistance, which they sum up with their motto: we serve.
The Kyiv branch has 80 members, all selected and approved by the prior members, and they have since their creation raised $1 million for charities.
According to Jahn, the group receives applications for donations from different organizations, and these applications are examined by the donation committee’s nine members who “different backgrounds and vast experience in charity work.”
A particular project then gets approval by the club’s members through a vote at a general meeting.
The money is raised at several fundraising events held throughout the year. These events address selected audiences in the international and Ukrainian business community, who donate money via special auctions and raffles.
“The economic situation is not ideal for fundraising,” Jahn said.
As a consequence, the charity organization now holds events for a specific project or topic, which is presented to donors and sponsors.
One of the club’s keystone events, the traditional Burns Night of Kyiv held on April 18, focused on the city’s children hospitals. Organizers bill it as the “most popular VIP charity event” that combines “Scottish traditions with Ukrainian flavor.” It took place at the Kyiv City State Administration, made available for the evening at no cost by Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
The city had offered the premises in exchange for the hospitals being considered for donation projects given city budget shortfalls amid an economic recession. Two hospitals were chosen as a result of this partnership.
Klitschko also auctioned two gold tickets for his younger brother’s upcoming fight against Tyson Fury in Dusseldorf. He also donated memorabilia belonging to the boxing champion, including a pair of signed gloves belonging to Kyiv’s mayor. This prize alone fetched $26,000, while $70,000 was raised overall that evening.
The public hospitals crucially rely on donations from charity organizations such as, the Kyiv Lions Club.
“Governmental institutions (are) usually restricted in their financial support,” Volodymyr Zhovnir, medical director at the Medical Center of Child Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, said.
Funding shortages prevent hospitals from developing, change broken equipment, both of which leads to medical staff adopting dangerous behaviors to compensate. Before the delivery of the SpO2 sensor to their hospital, the doctors had to stay with the newborns during an MRI exam to ensure they were still alive, Zhovnir said, a method dangerous for the child.
Ninety percent of this hospital’s expenses are covered by the government, he said. The difference is usually covered by charity organizations. Blankets for children are used and were donated by five-star hotels because they have a policy of using them only three times before throwing them away.
As Zhovnir gives the Kyiv Post a tour of the medical center, he points to equipment whose use may reach their limit soon, especially in the surgery ward. Since public funding isn’t available to replace the aging equipment, the hospital medical director will have to turn to charity groups for support once again.
Yves Souben staff writer can be reached at [email protected]
