St. Barnabas solidifies contacts with Ukraine (06/02/96)

St. Barnabas solidifies contacts with Ukraine

by Serhiy Myroniuk
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

LIVINGSTON, N.J. - An official delegation from Ukraine went on a fact-finding mission at St. Barnabas Medical Center on April 11 as it considered the prospect of creating an alliance between the center and the Ukrainian medical system.

The five-person delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Kuras, toured the neonatal, pediatric and burn intensive care units. The delegation also included People's Deputy Volodymyr Yavorivsky, co-chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights; Dr. Vladislav Torbin of the Research Division, Medical Department, Ministry of Chornobyl; Dr. Olesya Hulchiy, professor at the Ukrainian Medical University; and Dr. Ivan Vyshnevsky, director of the Nuclear Studies Institute, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences.

"We acknowledged that there is a need for alliance," Mr. Kuras said at a press conference after the tour. "Burn and rehabilitation units in Ukraine especially need methodical assistance and cooperation in the scientific area. If we could establish such ties that would result in the kind of modern medical equipment we saw today - which cannot but impress us - it would be very, very useful and very advantageous for us."

The delegation was in the United States to attend events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl explosion in Ukraine. As part of their program, they met with representatives of non-governmental organizations, international organizations and the medical community.

The delegation was invited to the United States by the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, a humanitarian relief organization based in Short Hills, N.J. The CCRF has delivered more than 966 tons of medical aid since 1989, valued at more than $36 million, to young victims of the Chornobyl disaster.

St. Barnabas Medical Center was selected as the site for the tour because of its highly skilled professional staff, its wide scope of services and state-of-the art technology offered in the areas of greatest interest to the delegation. The center is New Jersey's only certified burn treatment facility, and it offers extensive services for the intensive care of children and newborns.

Zenon Matkiwsky, president of the CCRF, said he had spoken to the directors of St. Barnabas Medical Center about the possibility of creating an alliance between the center and the Ukrainian medical system. But, he said, everything was in the process of negotiation and no decision had yet been made.

Dr. Matkiwsky said another purpose of the delegation's visit to the center was to initiate a doctor exchange program. Ukrainian physicians would come to the center and work with its modern medical technology, especially in the area of burn treatment. St. Barnabas Medical Center physicians would visit Ukraine and share their expertise with Ukrainian counterparts.

CCRF Director of Development Alexander Kuzma said some steps have been taken toward the alliance and exchange program initiated by Dr. Matkiwsky and Dr. Marko Olesnycky.

Dr. Natalia Fendrikova of the Kyiv Pediatric, Obstetrical and Gynecological Institute has begun a training program at St. Barnabas Medical Center. Her coach, Shyan Sun, chief of neonatology, expressed an interest in conducting research on the condition of Ukrainian infants. He is planning to work in the area of reducing infant mortality in Ukraine, Mr. Kuzma added.

It is expected that three St. Barnabas physicians will go to Ukraine this July, Mr. Kuzma said.

It was the hospital's medical equipment that made the strongest impression on the delegation.

"I would take the equipment with myself to Ukraine," said Dr. Hulchiy smiling. She explained that good modern technology is what the Ukrainian physicians need most. She said she is in favor of expanding ties with American medical professionals because this would improve the quality of Ukrainian medical services and make Ukrainian physicians more professional.

But she emphasized, "We have good physicians in Ukraine, some of them are no worse than any physician in the West. What we need is good medical equipment."

The health of the Ukrainian population is deteriorating as a result of Chornobyl, Dr. Torbin said, adding that 3.2 million were affected by the disaster. Recent studies have found an increase in the number of thyroid cancer cases, especially among children and teenagers. In 1995 there were 542 cases of thyroid cancer among persons who at the moment of the plant explosion were children or adolescents, said Dr. Torbin, citing official statistics. This year the number is up to 669 cases, he said.

Thus far, there are no increases in the incidence of other oncological illnesses, with the exception of leukemia, Dr. Torbin continued. According to official statistics, there are 350,000 liquidators or clean-up workers, in Ukraine, who mitigated the consequences of the catastrophe. Some 230,000 of them worked at the Chornobyl power plant in 1986-1987 when the most radiation was emitted. It is among that population in particular that oncological illnesses are expected to increase.

Mr. Yavorivsky spoke about the political significance of the visit. He described the visit as a presentation of Ukraine, and noted that one of its results is that Chornobyl problems have been raised to a new level.

During a conference held at Yale and Columbia universities, and a dinner at the latter's Low Library, Mr. Yavorivsky noted, Ukraine "received special recognition and support when scientists, diplomats, Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian - all we were speaking of Ukraine and Chornobyl."

Mr. Yavorivsky said the delegation also met with Boutros Boutros-Ghali and other U.N. representatives at the United Nations. The secretary-general expressed his intention to serve as a broker between the U.N. and Ukraine, the deputy said.

"Some steps have been taken, and I wouldn't exaggerate them, but we are talking about raising Ukraine's esteem and our self-awareness as a nation," he added.

| Home Page |