On June 28, 2022, United Surgeons for Children organized a cocktail benefit at the Villa Albertine Headquarters in New York City to share more about our global work including our critical emergency interventions in Ukraine.
At the event, Anouchka Finker, Director of USFC welcomed guests – many of whom were present at the December 2021 event in which we discussed the crisis in Afghanistan. For those returning guests, Anouchka provided an update on the situation in Afghanistan: ‘Nearly a year after the Taliban takeover, in conjunction with USFC’s Afghan colleagues, the FMIC hospital in Kabul has nearly returned to normal. Among our latest accomplishments, 400 children received care in the nutrition unit – a new program developed to address malnutrition in Afghanistan, which impacts nearly half of the population’.
Unfortunately, as we all know, in February the eyes of the world turned to Ukraine. As Finker stated, “To put it simply: we are facing crisis on top of crisis.”
Since the war began in Ukraine, USFC has mobilized urgently needed resources to support children and families during a perilous, anxious time. Faced with a sudden influx of injured people, few hospitals in Ukraine were fully prepared. USFC rapidly responded by sending over 9 tons of equipment, medicine, consumables, and trauma kits to several partner hospitals in the region. However, more support is needed to continue these equipment deliveries. USFC intends to send one truck per month.
To supplement these deliveries, additional support is going to strengthening capacities for lasting impact. USFC quickly established a partnership with UOSSM to train nine Ukrainian doctors at the European Health Training Institute. These doctors have returned to Lviv to lead training sessions for others. Using a ‘train-the-trainer’ approach, USFC intends to train 2,500 local first responders, nurses, and doctors in emergency medicine.
As the situation evolves, our work is becoming increasingly challenging and dangerous. To learn more about how we are providing medical attention to children and families caught in this crisis, and to understand how the global community can step up in this difficult moment contact us at director@usfc.org.
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