The Victor Pinchuk Foundation opened “Cradles of Hope” neonatal centre in Mykolaiv

On 16 July 2009 based at Mykolaiv Regional Children’s Hospital the Victor Pinchuk Foundation opened the eighteenth “Cradles of Hope” Neonatal Centre under the Programme bearing the same name. In total, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation allocated UAH 1 063 294 for setting up the “Cradles of Hope” Neonatal Centre in Mykolaiv.

To complete equipping the newborns intensive care and paediatrics departments Mykolaiv Regional Children’s Hospital received the artificial pulmonary ventilation equipment, incubators, intensive care unit, monitoring units to control the vital signs of the patients, computer workstation and other equipment for premature newborns.

The medical gear bought for Mykolaiv “Cradles of Hope” Neonatal Centre will not only create new jobs in the hospital departments, but also widen the professional opportunities for the neonatal centre specialists in providing emergency care for infants, help to improve the survival rate of the extremely premature infants and quality of their lives in the future.

Oleksii Garkusha, Head of Mykolaiv Region State Administration: “Today we not only witnessing, but taking part in doing a good deed – start of team working between the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Mykolaiv Region. The Foundation carries out noble and extremely important work by setting up a nationwide network of the “Cradles of Hope” Neonatal Centres. And our doctors will fight for every baby’s life. May Fortune and God’s Blessing favour us in this endeavour!”

Mykolaive Regional Children’s Hospital is the only place in the region with functioning departments of the newborns intensive care and paediatrics that provide anaesthetic, diagnostic and therapeutic treatment for infants, including those with an extremely low birth weight. Overloaded by the constant stream of patients, arriving from all over the region, and being short of the specialist equipment to care for extremely premature infants, up to now the hospital has been constantly facing the most critical issue of acquiring the deficient medical devices.

Dmytro Gotsuliak, Physician-in-Chief of Mykolaiv Regional Children’s Hospital: “In view of the constantly growing number of patients, both intensive care and paediatrics departments for premature newborns were in an urgent need of extra medical equipment. And this is the reason why aid coming from the Victor Pinchuk Foundation is incredibly well-timed and important for the hospital. Professionalism of our highly skilled staff combined with their responsiveness and care for children, and also having modern hi-tech equipment at hand, can make wonders.”

Valerii Vakariuk, Vice-President of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation: “In June 2009 the “Cradles of Hope” Programme celebrated its third anniversary. Therefore opening of the new Centre in Mykolaiv is significant for us. Step by step we are moving towards having the “Cradles of Hope” Centres, which save lives of our children, established in all regions of Ukraine. Since launch of the Programme nearly 60 000 infants were born in the Centres and almost 4 000 of the newborns were saved thanks to the medical equipment installed under the Programme.”

Additionally, in order to form a reserve stock of the Curosurf drug, the hospital’s newborns intensive care department received four doses of this surfactant valued at UAH 17 296. This drug is indicated for the treatment (rescue) of Respiratory Distress Syndrome in premature infants. Its usage reduces mortality rate associated with breathing problems of newborns.