Article Author:
Reuters
GENEVA — Unitaid, a global medical aid agency, is donating 220 specialized ambulatory breathing devices to Ukraine that can save the lives of premature babies even in frontline hospitals without electricity.
The February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine damaged or destroyed hundreds of hospitals, disrupted supply lines, and left newborns at risk of death or disability due to lack of access to equipment and oxygen. rice field.
Unitaid spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said in a media briefing that the war is putting extra stress on pregnant women, with the number of premature births tripled in some areas. said.
According to Verhoosel, the new bubble nasal continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) device is now available at 25 facilities across Ukraine.
Unitaid primarily funds medical innovation programs in poor countries and is sponsored by the World Health Organization.
During a recent visit to a children's hospital near the front lines in Ukraine, WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said she was sleeping in a basement every night and had to keep her children on ventilators at all times.
"So having a very portable device that works offline is absolutely critical," she said at a briefing.
Unitaid partnered with Vayu Global Health, a non-profit organization that specializes in low-cost healthcare devices for developing countries, to supply Kenyan-made bCPAP machines priced at approximately $500 each and 125 Provided an oxygen blender. system. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf, Editing by Peter Graff)
