Feature
The Zhytomyr Hospital Challenge: Mission Accomplished
Djakuyu — Thank you!
When I first met Ukrainian-American nurse practitioner Olena Svetlov last fall, I could never have imagined that nine months later, we’d be standing in a parking lot in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, next to a delivery van packed with new medical equipment.
From my meeting with Olena came the Zhytomyr Hospital Challenge, a fundraising campaign to purchase much-needed equipment to help nurses and doctors risking their lives to care for patients during wartime.
The project was an overwhelming success, made possible through the extraordinary generosity of our Working Nurse community! I have one word for you all: Djakuyu — “thank you” in Ukrainian — a word I heard often that morning in June when we made this very special delivery.
Not Forgotten
I had many concerns about our project. One was that we might be too late. When we launched in February, the war in Ukraine had reached its second anniversary. The American public’s ebullient support in the early days of the invasion had faded. If we launched a fundraiser now, would people still care enough to contribute?
These fears were allayed by the many notes left on the website donor wall, like this one from Jane L.:
To the staff at Zhytomyr hospital, you have our respect and our hearts for your bravery in carrying on with patient treatment in wartime conditions. We hope that we can help you save more lives and make your work lighter with this new equipment.
On the day we arrived to deliver the goods, the sentiment we heard repeatedly from the hospital staff in Zhytomyr was, “Thank you for not forgetting us.” After the war started, there had been a rush of donations from all over the world. But now, more than two years later, with need intensifying and supplies dwindling, they were no longer getting the help they needed.
Contrary to what I had feared, our contribution was actually rendered more meaningful because of its timing.
No “Medical Junk”
Another of my concerns was that our donations might not actually be useful or practical. In the early stages of planning, we reached out to aid workers with experience on the ground in Ukraine to ask their advice about our project.
An American cardiologist who has frequently traveled to the front lines emailed me his thoughts:
I have learned to become somewhat skeptical about requests for medical equipment. Often the doctors will request equipment to fulfill their dreams, without considering practical issues such as biomedical repair and consumables. Without the ability to repair and maintain equipment, it will become “medical junk” once something breaks.
That scenario is what we wanted to avoid.
Because Olena had contacts at Zhytomyr Hospital and was able to communicate with them directly in Ukrainian, she could find out specifically what they needed. We then sourced a local supplier who not only fulfilled the “wish list,” but is also available for training, parts, and maintenance.
Zelensky Anti-Corruption Laws
Our original plan was to raise funds that we would then wire to the hospital so they could purchase the equipment directly. However, our research (and Olena’s intuition) indicated that more oversight was needed.
Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 24, 1991. The Ukrainians have come a long way towards establishing a European-facing democracy and market economy, but some vestiges of the old Soviet corruption still persist.
We concluded that the only way to guarantee that we would be charged the right price for the right equipment delivered to the right place would be for us to go there ourselves to oversee the process.
While in Ukraine, we were pleased to witness some of the strides the country is taking to fight malfeasance with what have become known as the “Zelensky anti-corruption laws.”
Two anecdotal examples: When purchasing items at a store, the clerk asked us to wait for a moment while he called for a manager and filled out some paperwork. He explained that cash transactions over a certain amount need to be recorded and witnessed.
And, whenever we delivered donations, we were asked to sign statements affirming that these items were indeed charitable contributions that had been acquired legitimately.
The Hospital and the Community
Zhytomyr Hospital is now functioning more efficiently with two new Zeiss Primostar microscopes, a blood pressure monitoring system, an automatic hematology analyzer, a dry air thermostat, a medical refrigerator, a MicroMed laboratory leukocyte counter, an air sterilizer, an electro- cardiograph, and rehabilitation equipment that will help patients recover from injury.
Thanks to a late surge of support from donors, we surpassed our fundraising goal, and decided to devote the excess funds to other charitable works within the greater community.
We purchased 52 first aid kits for the local police to take on patrol; paid for repairs and supplies for a ballet studio that offers a respite for children enduring the stress of war; provided six months’ worth of food to an animal rescue; and aided a mother and her disabled son in Bucha.
THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE are valiantly defending their homeland against a brutal and better-equipped invader, yet the war grinds on. In July, shortly after our return home, a bomb struck Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, a stark reminder of the relentless trauma Ukrainians face.
Experiencing air raid sirens firsthand — several times each night — followed by a frantic dash to a basement bomb shelter, I caught just a brief glimpse of the realities of life in a war zone.
While I’m grateful we could make a small contribution towards improving Zhytomyr Hospital, it is but a drop in the ocean. Ukrainians are a brave, soulful, and hospitable people who deserve to live in peace.
For personal observations and photos from our trip, see the following “Ukraine Diary” series:
Planes, Trains, and Eight Stuffed Suitcases
Resistance at the Kyiv Museum of History
Air Sirens and Bomb Shelters
First Aid Kits for Police Officers
Bucha
The Ballet Studio
Animal Rescue
Here is the original story from the Feb. 21 issue that launched The Zhytomyr Hospital Challenge.
