Relief goods transport from 2-7 May 2022
Dear friends and supporters of our work for the people in Ukraine, I am back safe and sound after an intensive week of work and experience in Vinnytsia. Here is my report on our 4th aid transport to Vinnytsia:
Once again, our presence on the ground proved to be important. The outcome of our work depends on personal contacts and knowledge of the current situation and needs. As the situation changes daily, a quick response in constant contact and exchange is necessary for effective help. This is what we do.
Current situation hospitals:
Both the Pirogova hospital and the other hospitals in Vinnytsia have been busy around the clock since the war began in February, to the point of exhaustion of everyone involved. The situation has worsened. Up to 50 mostly severely injured people have to be treated every day, and the already expanded operating theatre capacities are fully utilised – around the clock, seven days a week. Material for modern wound care in particular is in short supply and is urgently requested. Also urgently needed for the traumatology department is a mobile ultrasound unit. A mobile ultrasound scanner is also urgently needed for the traumatology department, as many severely injured patients cannot be transported for the necessary diagnostics. However, a continuous sonographic assessment of the patient’s progress is often decisive for the correct timing of an intervention (e.g. in the case of post-operative bleeding and development of haematoma).
The main steriliser is destroyed due to a cable fire, the “resuscitation attempts” of the technicians are futile:
Photos: Group photo with Dr Andrii Formanchuk (surgeon), nurse Anja (senior operating theatre nurse) and Alexander (building services), steriliser of Pyrogova Hospital in Vinnytsia after cable fire due to overload.
Help in planning:
The partnership between the Pirogava Hospital and the Heart and Vascular Centre Bad Bevensen as well as the Klinikum Lüneburg, which has just been launched, is quickly filling with life. On Thursday, the first direct telephone contact took place between head physician Dr. Nolte (HGZ Bad Bevensen, Dept. of Vascular Surgery) and the Medical Director of the Pirogava Hospital, Prof. Alexander.
Dr. Nolte and the HGZ are donating a total of 6 surgical monitoring units as well as a complete anaesthesia workstation (all from the company Dräger, with which Pirogova is already partially equipped and familiar) as well as urgently needed anaesthetics for the next transport at the beginning of June 2022. The announcement caused great joy.
Furthermore, efforts are underway by the HGZ to assist in the purchase of a large-capacity steriliser. We will try to raise the purchase price of about € 15,000 through donations. Furthermore, approx. € 5,000 will be used for the mobile sonography device for the traumatology department of the Pirogova Hospital. Department of the Pirogova Hospital.
Mit der Firma „3M” laufen momentan Verhandlungen über größere Mengen von Verbandsmaterial zur modernen Wundversorgung (VAC-Therapie). Eine komplette Palette mit 3M-Material konnten wir bereits mit dem letrzten Transport zur Verfügung stellen, 3 Vakuum-Pumpen a € 3500.- sind für den nächsten Transport bereits bereitgestellt. Wir hoffen, dass 3M sich wieder mit einem Rabatt und einer Material-Zugabe beteiligen wird.
Nevertheless, we will need more donations for this.
At the moment we are working on the approval of the first visit of a colleague from the cardio-surgery department at the HGZ Bad Bevensen. Department of the Pirogova Hospital in the HGZ Bad Bevensen. Since Ukrainians under the age of 60 are not allowed to leave the country due to the war, we need an exceptional permit from the state authorities.
Current situation of refugee care:
The city of Vinnytsia (400,000 inhabitants) is currently home to about 50,000 refugees who need to be provided with all the necessities of life by the city. The city is in urgent need of external help. Food has become scarce. While the city’s central warehouse in the logistics centre was still moderately full during our last visit in April, the large warehouse was now clearly empty.
At the entrance to the volunteer refugee centre “Diana”, which feeds 200-300 refugees daily, there is currently a notice “No food today”. The refugee centre “Quadrat”, which is actually the city’s youth hostel, is also in urgent need of material to pack “survival kids” for the soldiers on the front lines. The refugee centre of the Adventist church in Vinnytsia, which takes special care of traumatised refugee children and feeds 300 refugees (mainly mothers with children) every day, also urgently needs support.
Current help:
On board were 33 Euro-pallets with food and medicine for the refugees with a retail value of about € 40,000 (thanks to the support of the Handelshof Lüneburg purchase from donations for only € 23,000). Under the supervision of the city’s magistrate, the distribution of the load (=36 Euro pallets = 20 tons of relief goods = sales value€ approx. € 150,000.-= donation input€ 75,000.-) to the provided small trucks of the refugee centres and the city’s warehouse for the large kitchen, which provides refugees with a hot meal every day, was again carried out smoothly. The notice on the entrance door of the “Diana Refugee Centre” will thus probably not be needed for a few days …
Great praise from Sergej from the City Magistrate again came for the quality of the delivered goods and the exemplary labelling about the respective contents in English and Ukrainian. I would like to pass on my thanks for the good work to my wife Sylvia and our “packaging department” …
For the refugee children we handed over the first part of the equipment for 50 children for the planned “summer camp” (12 tents, sleeping bags, mats, plates and cutlery) to the refugee centre of the Adventist congregation Winnyzja, which caused great joy among all participants. They send their heartfelt thanks to the König brothers and the team of Trekking-König in Lüneburg, also in the name of the many children who will thus be given some distraction from the war and the consequences of their flight.
The second part of the equipment is already provided by Trekking-König and will go with the next transport.
We were also very happy to see Natalja, the manager of the “youth hostel”, now the refugee centre “Quadrat”, receive food and other equipment for the “survival kids”. I have commissioned a list of the most important “tops” for these “survival packages” and will do my utmost to continue to effectively support the work of the many volunteers of “Quadrat” in their work. Here, too, they are working “around the clock” practically without a break.
Magistrate of the City of Vinnytsia:
We are in good and regular contact with the city’s magistrate and continue to constantly coordinate the content of our work with the needs of the city administration.
Public relations:
My very personal thanks go to Mr Kolbe and the editorial staff of the Landeszeitung Lüneburg for their competent coverage of our work in several newspaper articles.
The reporting promotes understanding of the importance of our work and enables external exposure, which brings us further support for the work we continue to need in helping people in need.
Planning next transport beginning of June 2022:
Preparations are underway for the 5th aid transport:
✓ Completion of equipment for summer camp for refugee children.
✓ 15 pallets of food have already been ordered from Handelshof Lüneburg and will be available in time. Many thanks to Mr. Schwindt and Mr. Brunke from Handelshof for their respective loving and competent compilation of the goods in the purchase and the possibility to obtain everything at the purchase price.
✓ Surgery equipment, anaesthesia machine, etc.+ anaesthesia drugs
from the HGZ Bad Bevensen (head physician Dr. Nolte)
Dear friends, that was a lot to read now. But the ever-increasing volume of our transport reports also shows that the amount of work done is constantly growing.
So far, we have been able to provide valuable help for the people of one city and the people who have fled there from the neighbouring combat zones. Friendships have been formed and partnerships whose fruits will last beyond the war.
Someday it will be our memories of the time when we were able to help people in great need – hand in hand and person to person. In this spirit, I remain with thanks and best regards
Dr Ralf-Peter Oelsner, (Operational Head of LHU e.V. in Ukraine)
We urgently need more donations ….
