Press-releases
22.05.2007
New “Cradles of Hope” neonatal intensive care centre was opened in Chernivtsi
On May 22, 2007 in Chernnivtsi City, a new neonatal intensive care centre was opened under the auspices of the "Cradles of Hope" Program sponsored by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. The goal of the program is to ensure a comprehensive complex of medical aid services for newborns. The objective of the program consists in setting up neonatal intensive care centers in Ukraine equipped with high quality and the most up-to-date equipment available within the international market.
Opening the Center in Chernivtsi City is a next step of "Cradles of Hope" Program. "A year ago we opened the first neonatal intensive care centre in Chernihiv City and declared that we were going to open such centers all over Ukraine. It was a pilot project. Today we have opened the seventh center and we are getting more and more serious about it, as a large-scale program aimed at reducing child death rate in Ukraine. I am sure that this is a very important social project and we are planning to expand further investment capacity for its implementation", - Victor Pinchuk said during the press-conference in Chernivtsi City.
Yelizaveta Shunko, Chief Neonatal Physician of the Ministry of Health Care of Ukraine, pointed out that Chernivtsi region has the worst infant mortality rates, which are twice as high as those in the rest of Ukraine. "The reason for this is a lack of necessary equipment in the hospitals and impossibility to transport newborns in order to provide them with medical care. The new center in Chernivtsi City will help reduce infant mortality rate and improve life standards of those who was saved", - said Yelizaveta Shunko.
"Rendering medical care for the newborns, the most complicated category of patients, requires both special equipment and professional personnel. We hope that by the end of this year our region will manage to come out of such a critical situation", - added Roman Andriychuk, the chief physician of Chernivtsi Regional Children's Clinical Hospital No. 1.
"Cradles of Hope" Program is active for one year already. During this period the Victor Pinchuk Foundation launched centers in Chernihiv, Volodymyrets, Poltava, Dniepropetrovsk, Kyiv and Ovruch. In 2006 the Victor Pinchuk Foundation allocated UAH 2 525 000 for these purposes. The program has expanded the existing and created new possibilities for conducting diagnostics of some complicated pregnancy instances requiring immediate surgery, intensive resuscitation and subsequent rehabilitation of the newborns.
In implementation of the project, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation sets two key objectives:
- reducing infant mortality rate in the country and improving life standards of the surviving infants;
- providing the country with necessary assistance for the purpose of transition to the international registration standards of newborns.
In 2007, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation will proceed implementing the nationwide project on setting up a network of neonatal intensive care centers "Cradles of Hope".
Six new centers "Cradles of Hope" are to be opened in Odessa, Izmail, Simferopol, and Bakhchisarai and in Donetsk. Cooperation between the partner hospitals commenced in 2006 will also be carried on.
For these purposes the Foundation has allocated UAH 9 595 000 for the year 2007.
"Cradles of Hope" is a complex program consisting in a key goal on creating a professional community providing neonatal care.
In order to ensure high quality aid provided to newborns, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation has scheduled trainings and workshops for the personnel of the partner hospitals and supplying "Cradles of Hope" centers with computers and Internet access. On May 22, 2007, there was a presentation of Internet site of "Cradles of Hope" program (http://pinchukfund.org/kolibeli), at which the Centers' physicians will have access to specialized literature and communication.
For reference:
During decades, one can observe a tendency in Ukraine leading to deterioration of demographic setting. Today the situation may be defined as critical. One of the major elements of demographic crisis in Ukraine is infant mortality. The infant mortality rates in Ukraine are materially higher (10, 0), than those in Western Europe (from 3, 6 to 5, 1) and in USA (6, 7).
Starting from January 1, 2007, Ukraine has transferred to the WHO standard, whereby all infants born after 22 weeks of pregnancy and weighing 500 gr. and more, are subject to intensive care. This may result in further deterioration of mortality rates and more expensive care. Globality and gravity of the issue provide for searching a solution to it not only by the state but also by non-governmental and voluntary organizations.
Current state of medical facilities, premises, and personnel qualification does not often meet the requirements on providing high quality aid to bad case newborns.
The highest neonatal mortality rate and the highest neonatal mortality rate increase in 2006 was registered in Chernivtsi Region - 9, 1% (compared to six, 7% in 2005). It is followed by Kirovograd Region (8, 0%), Lugansk Region (6, 9%), and Odessa Region (6, 3%).
Infant mortality breakdown in Ukraine:
1. Respiratory deficiency syndrome - 279 infants (24%).
2. Congenital developmental abnormalities -276 infants (24, 17%).
3. Fetal hypoxia, birth asphyxia- 169 infants (14, 8).
4. Perinatal infections - 104 infants (9, 11%).
5. Congenital pneumonia - 103 infants (9, 02%).
6. Intraventricular and intracranial hemorrhages - 86 infants (7, 53%).
Items 1 and 6 of this breakdown are the segments that can be effectively handled within "Cradles of Hope" Program.
According to the data provided by the Health Care Ministry and Statistics Committee of Ukraine, in 2006 - 1142 newborns died, 593 out of them were semi-mature and 549 - premature.
There were born 457 358 children, 30 805 of them were premature.
During this period there were born 1 304 children weighing less than 1 kg.
Last year, within "Cradles of Hope" Program in partner hospitals they provided medical care to circa 11 000 newborns. 1200 of them were treated in intensive care and resuscitation wards. Having said that, one can state with confidence that 461 infants were saved thanks to the equipment installed within "Cradles of Hope" Program.
