The Victor Pinchuk Foundation has helped to repair medical equipment and donated supplies for the neonatal intensive care unit of the Uzhhorod Cradles of Hope centre

The Victor Pinchuk Foundation has covered the cost of repairing two artificial respiration devices, purchased 3 aspirators, 3 flow sensors and 50 pulse oximetry sensors for the intensive care unit of the perinatal centre of the Uzhhorod City Multidisciplinary Clinical Hospital, amounting to UAH 128 760.

This medical institution has been a partner of the Cradles of Hope project since December 2010. Due to the absence of a regional perinatal centre in Zakarpattia, it serves as the regional level III facility, which concentrates patients from all over the region with severe obstetric pathology and preterm births. On average, up to 2,500 deliveries are delivered here each year, and about 200 babies receive care in the neonatal intensive care unit. Since the outbreak of full-scale war, the centre's workload has increased significantly, as the Zakarpattia region has provided shelter to a large number of internally displaced women. As a result, the 4-bed neonatal intensive care unit often accommodates twice as many newborn patients.

According to the doctors of the unit, all the equipment donated by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation - 32 units of equipment for nursing and treatment of preterm infants and babies with complex neonatal pathology - serves the needs of the centre's youngest patients well, but occasionally requires updating of certain components, repairs and consumables. The Foundation systematically supports the institution in maintaining the equipment's performance.

‘When a premature baby is born, situations can arise that are difficult to predict before delivery. There are many causes of respiratory depression that require resuscitation at birth, and in these cases it is extremely important that the equipment we use for resuscitation works like a Swiss watch. That's why the doctors of our unit are very grateful for the Victor Pinchuk Foundation's support, as each ventilator is an indispensable tool for saving a new little life,’ says the unit's head, Stepan Bogdan.

The total amount of assistance provided by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation over the entire period of cooperation has amounted to UAH 1.8 million. In addition, since the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Foundation has additionally purchased a non-invasive breathing apparatus Infant Flow SiPAP and 2 patient heating systems for the Uzhhorod perinatal centre with funding from the Ukraine Relief Fund, worth almost UAH 1 million.