We continue to implement the project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support", in particular its medical component.

This week, the necessary laboratory equipment was handed over to the Volyn Regional Territorial Medical Association for the Protection of Motherhood and Childhood. Today, it is the only medical facility in the region that provides multidisciplinary specialized consultative, inpatient, and emergency medical care to children and their mothers. It also has the only round-the-clock children’s trauma center in the region and an oncohematology center with 25 inpatient beds for children. The perinatal center has 2 anesthesiology and intensive care units for newborns and the only mobile neonatal emergency team in the region. More than 20,000 patients are treated on 550 functioning beds and about 10,000 surgical interventions are performed annually.

To improve the hospital’s operations, the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya purchased and donated an immunofluorescence quantitative analyzer and related consumables for the determination of methotrexate.

"Methotrexate is a chemotherapy drug. It slows down or stops cell growth. Therapy with this drug can be done in a clinic, hospital or at home. The dosing schedule and dosage depend on the type of cancer, the child’s age, and the method of administration. During therapy, the patient has to undergo regular blood tests to check blood counts, methotrexate levels in the blood (if the drug is prescribed in high doses), and monitor liver and kidney function. The dosage of methotrexate can vary depending on its blood level", explained Dr. Tetiana Hoydash, medical coordinator of CAMZ.

As a reminder, the project "Improving the Protection of Children in Emergencies in Ukraine by Providing Safe Shelters, Food and Non-Food Items, and Psychosocial Support" is being implemented by the Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" with the support of "terre des hommes Deutschland e.V. " and funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.