Right after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we’ve started providing first aid in the form of medical equipment and resources. In the second year of the war, we’ve opened emergency medicine courses for doctors and civilians. It was only possible with the great involvement and generosity of private individuals and companies, as well as grants.
Tools and skills
Our top priority in the first months of war had been supplying Ukraine with medical equipment and resources in order to make it possible for the doctors to provide aid to civilians and soldiers. Mostly, we’d been sending surgical instruments, fixators for orthopaedic surgery, and operating room equipment – X-ray machines, operating tables, surgical diathermy machines, infusion pumps, and rapid infusion sets.
We’d also been sending ultrasound scanners, negative pressure wound therapy machines, defibrillators, stretchers, incubators, ICU monitors, ventilators, and consumables – sutures, catheters, etc.. We’d also helped with the delivery and distribution of Abbot pacemakers in cooperation with the American Heart Rhythm Association.
However, very quickly it became obvious that the equipment wasn’t enough. Medical care providers needed to be properly trained. We’ve begun with a cycle of courses on ultrasound assessment of hemodynamic stability in patients, based on eFAST, RUSH, and CAUSE protocols.
Due to the difficulties in providing acute care for abdominal trauma associated with the limited resources, disrupted communication, length of the battlefront, and attacks on civilian objects, we devised a new emergency ultrasound protocol in those injuries. FAST-U received positive scores during the 10th International Conference on Disaster and Military Medicine in Dusseldorf, Germany.
In the autumn of 2022 we’ve begun a cycle of courses on the tactical trauma care according to the MARCHE protocol aimed at Ukrainian civilians. By June of 2023 a group of Institute for Emergency Medicine certified instructors held 49 training courses with 1128 participants aged 12 to 73 years old. Among them were teachers, shopping mall employees, and volunteers providing humanitarian aid to the battlezone.
Tactical medicine training courses are very important in Ukraine, because they educate people on how to help each other in case of danger.
Aid network
Ever since the first days of our fundraiser, we’ve been working in a network of institutions providing aid to Ukraine. To help it grow larger, we created the Ukraine Medical Consortium.
Thanks to the good connections and trust-based relationships with Ukrainian officials and strategic institutions, we were able to efficiently acquire essential medical equipment and resources, and deliver them where they were needed the most.
Every request has been analysed by medicine and public health experts – experienced doctors from Poland, Ukraine, and other parts of the world.
Aid portrayed in numbers
17 728 tourniquets
11 645 surgical tools
2 395 sets of external fixators
1 125 IFAKs (first aid kits)
360 infusion pumps
320 mattresses
239 rehabilitation equipment
80 ICU beds
64 multiparameter monitors
40 ultrasound devices
37 pacemakers
22 ventilators
20 rapid infusors
9 operating room equipment (tables, lamps)
7 blood analyzers
6 neonatal incubators
5 x-ray machines
3 surgical diathermy
127 participants of 7 training courses on the proper ultrasound assessment of hemodynamic stability in patients, based on eFAST, RUSH, CAUSE, and FAST-U protocols.
1128 participants of 49 training courses on the tactical trauma care according to the MARCHE protocol aimed at Ukrainian civilians, which were conducted in 33 towns.
Let’s support a free Ukraine!
Many institutions participated in our fundraiser, as well as private donors. The most charitable of them are Americares (203,510 USD), Northwell Health (150,000 USD), Assoc Quest France Solidarite (120,000 EUR), Umana Foundation (32,000 USD).
Many institutions and medical equipment producents relied on us to deliver their gifts. Those were, among others: American Heart Rhythm Association, NHS, British Ukraine Aid, Isaiah Mission Foundation, Abbott, Biotronics, Stryker, Project CURE, and Nova Ukraine.
The total value of the donated medical equipment and resources was 4,835,425.44 USD.
