War is always a risk to vulnerable groups with chronic diseases, and to the civilian population of any country in general. With the start of full-scale hostilities in Ukraine, children with diabetes and their families are in a difficult situation. Anyone who tried to replenish home supplies of these essential medicines but did not find them in pharmacies faced the fear of running out of essential insulin and daily consumables (test strips for glucometers, lancets, insulin syringes and insulin pen needles).
With the assistance of the TNMU administration, a humanitarian aid centre for children and youth with diabetes was established at the administrative building ran by Associate Professor Viktoria Furdela. The volunteers collect, sort, distribute and send to children and their parents the goods they need the most.
The centre receives help from caring people from Italy.
Svitlana Duda from Italy (Rome) together with the volunteer centre DeeBee, Italia and Gruppo Farmacie IGEA SRL donated over 300 kg of medicines for patients with diabetes (glucometers, test strips, insulin pens and needles, lancets) and insulin.
Also, half of the luggage with dressings, disinfectants and medicines (antibiotics, painkillers, levothyroxine, emergency agents, cotton wool, bandages, etc.) was delivered to the University Volunteer Centre, which forms medical kits for soldiers and is delivered to the hospitals of the Eastern regions of Ukraine.
The students and graduates of our university Piotr Ostrowski, Justyna Ochał, Hubert Mikosza, Maciej Miecznikowski, Wojtek Wawszczyk, Arkadiusz D. Leśniak-Moczuk from Poland, who collect and send humanitarian aid for children and adults of the region, also responded to the call for help.
We show gratitude to our volunteers from abroad and their teams for the collected medicines and medical products for children of our city and, in particular, young patients with diabetes.
On behalf of the School of Diabetes for Children and Adolescents in Ternopil and the NGO of their parents “Dia-Dim” Ternopil we express gratitude to the administration of TNMU for their understanding and support.