Experts-neonatologists met journalists

May 29 in Kyiv a press briefing of neonatology experts and representatives of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation program "Cradles of Hope" on infant mortality in Ukraine and on transition to new registration standards of newborns was held.

The participants of the discussion were: chief neonatology expert of the Health Care Ministry of Ukraine, Yelizaveta Shunko, Head physician of the Crimean Republican Children's Clinical Hospital, expert in resuscitation and special care of newborns, Alexander Astakhov, advisor of the Health Care Minister of Ukraine, Ulyana Lozan, manager of the CIS representative office of Austrian company NZ TECHNO, Vladimir Mitin, vice-president of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation on Health Care Issues, Larisa Polyakova and the founder of the "Cradles of Hope" Program, Victor Pinchuk.

 The participants discussed the issues pertaining to reasons of high infant mortality rates in the country and possible solutions required for a balanced adjustment of the situation. A special emphasis was placed on making the topicality of the infant mortality issue widely known to the public and on the importance of interaction between the community and the state.

In his address to journalists, Victor Pinchuk said - "Why do we do it? Because we have grown to understand that Ukraine is facing such a global problem defined as infant mortality. The infant mortality in our country is at least twice as higher than in Western Europe … We have understood that this is one of the problems we ought to handle. We think it should be handled by private business… However, there are issues that cannot be solved within a problem, by a corporation, a foundation, even if it would work at the breaking point. The community's assistance is much required here. Undoubtedly, we find it very important to communicate with the community by means of the media and through professional journalists who pretty much aware of and interested in the subject".