Photo Credit: Adriana Luhovy
Ukrainian Weekly
“Canadian doctors and nurses perform complex surgical procedures in Ukraine”
http://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/canadian-doctors-and-nurses-perform-complex-surgical-procedures-in-ukraine/
Photo Credit: Adriana Luhovy
June 12, 2015
Photo – A team of medical professionals from Ukraine and Canada operate at the Ukrainian Military Hospital.
TORONTO – A specialized team of Canadian health professionals recently returned home after completing a medical mission in Ukraine. This mission marked the second medical mission the Canada Ukraine Foundation has organized in as many years.
The team worked alongside Ukrainian doctors and nurses in performing reconstructive complex surgical procedures on victims of the Euro-Maidan movement and Vladimir Putin’s invasion into Eastern Ukraine. All surgeries took place in Kyiv at the Ukrainian Military Hospital.
The medical team of 22 professionals was composed entirely of volunteers and included surgeons, anesthetists and nurses. The team was assembled from across Canada. Forty-nine patients from across Ukraine with complex post-traumatic defects and deformities were seen in consultation.
A total of 53 reconstructive procedures were performed in 29 patients between May 10 and 16 for a total of 116 operating hours.
The procedures included: 13 upper extremity reconstructions, five skull reconstructions, 14 facial soft tissue (nose, eyelid, lip, cheek, scalp) reconstructions, 20 facial bone reconstructions (mandible, orbit, midface, nose).
Department of Foreign Affairs, Canada
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson meets with Dr. Oleh Antonyshyn from Canada and officials from Ukraine.
“During this mission we focused our efforts primarily on injuries to the skull and face. The majority of the injuries sustained by the patients were shrapnel/explosive wounds and gunshot wounds,” said Dr. Oleh Antonyshyn, head of the Adult Craniofacial Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and professor of plastic surgery at the University of Toronto.
“Multiple procedures were done in many patients, by one or two surgical teams, working concurrently or consecutively. And perhaps most importantly, we have already identified 10 patients for major reconstructive surgery on our next mission,” he added.
During this medical mission, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Rob Nicholson visited the Ukrainian Military Hospital, where he met with patients, and Canadian and Ukrainian medical professionals. Just prior to his visit, the government of Canada had announced $1.2 million in support for building additional health care capacity in the Ukrainian military.
“I am grateful to the Canadian government for supporting the Ukrainian Military Hospital through the Canada Ukraine Foundation,” said Victor Hetmanczuk, president of the Canada Ukraine Foundation. “These funds will go towards much needed equipment to increase their capacity to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers.”
Funding for both medical missions comes largely from United for Ukraine, a fund-raiser organized by the Canada Ukraine Foundation in September 2014, attended by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Wayne Gretzky. The Toronto event was attended by almost 1,200 people and raised more than $200,000. Eugene Melnyk and Bohdan Onyschuk co-chaired the fundraising efforts for the mission.
“I am grateful to the Canada Ukraine Foundation and to the thousands of Canadians who donated to our mission,” said Dr. Antonyshyn.
The Canada Ukraine Foundation expressed thanks for the support of Stryker Canada, which once again awarded the medical mission a grant that provided for virtually all surgical hardware and implant materials for the medical procedures.
The Canada Ukraine Foundation was established by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to coordinate, develop, organize and deliver assistance projects generated by Canadians and directed to Ukraine. It is a registered charitable foundation.
Donations for the next medical mission and other projects may be made at http://www.cufoundation.ca.