Children's health is our main concern
Everyone needs to take good care of health throughout a life. Maintaining and improving health is an important part of the work carried out by the Green Cross in Ukraine under the international SOCMED program with the financial and coordination support of the Green Cross Switzerland. One of the main tasks is to raise a healthy younger generation. In recent years, the state of health of children has been constantly deteriorating, therefore it is extremely important to create conditions that ensure their social well-being, physical and mental health.
In this regard, the project "Health for the Future" is active, providing timely medical assistance and treatment in Zhytomyr region, in particular, in the regions affected by the Chernobyl disaster. The work is carried out by a team of pediatric doctors, including: a pediatric surgeon, a pediatric dentist, a pediatric endocrinologist, a pediatric gastroenterologist, a pediatric immunologist, a pediatric neurologist. A group of doctors conducts regular visits to the northern districts of the region - exactly those that affected most from the consequences of the Chernobyl accident. In collaboration with local doctors, the children of the dispensary groups are examined, joint reviews are carried out and a treatment plan for each patient is determined. If necessary, the team is additionally completed with pediatric doctors of other specializations: pediatric otolaryngologist, pediatric ophthalmologist, pediatric anesthesiologist, etc. If conditions and indications are available, surgical interventions are performed for children in central regional hospitals. Sanitary and educational work is carried out, both with patients and with parents for the prevention and treatment of certain pathologies. If patients have a need for specialized examination and treatment in a specialized children's hospital, they are referred to the Zhytomyr Regional Children's Clinical Hospital.
As part of the project, field visits to the districts are planned. Only 16 visits per year. To date, 1801 consultations have been completed, 209 children have been referred for inpatient treatment, 6 surgical operations have been performed. Also, within the framework of the project, this year it is planned to renovate and equip the hospital with medical equipment and consumables. Thanks to the financial support of the Green Cross Switzerland under the leadership of Executive Director Martin Baumle, a new transiluminator for a venous puncture and the necessary European standard suture materials (pricking, and cutting needles, braided suture and monofilament threads - 11 types in total) were purchased for the Zhytomyr Regional Children's Clinical Hospital.
“In a surgeon's work, much of the success depends on the suture material they use. Unfortunately, the problem of high-quality suture materials is acute for all surgeons in our country, which means, to a large extent, for the health of patients. Probably the most vulnerable branch of surgery in this sense is precisely pediatric surgery: we constantly need a wide range of suture materials, since emergency surgery often does not make it possible to prepare for the operation, in the sense of ensuring it, all consumables for the operation must be present directly in the operating room", said Vitaly Zaremba, head of the Health for the Future project. Operations are performed among different groups of patients: elective surgery, urgent surgery, thoracic surgery, reconstructive surgery, pediatric gynecology, pediatric urology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, neurosurgery, neonatal surgery.
Also, constant monitoring and analysis of the situation in the region is carried out in order to obtain reliable information on the state of health of the population, collect data, review the reasons for the deterioration of health and the occurrence of diseases. Effective solutions to health problems are developed, the accumulated experience and knowledge in the field of medical care is applied, preventive measures are taken to maintain and improve health. In addition, the population is trained in matters of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and the level of radioecological awareness is increasing.
The medical team of the Zhytomyr Regional Children's Clinical Hospital and Green Cross Ukraine expresses gratitude and appreciation to everyone who cares about the fate and life of children. We are thankful for the help and support also to local partners in Ukraine, to all those who help us in the implementation of the SOCMED program and projects to improve the standard of living and well-being of families in need.
GCU
