A Cranbrook doctor who has been volunteering with a mobile hospital unit in Ukraine is raising money for medical equipment ahead of a pending return trip to the country.
Dr. Tracey Parnell is putting out the call for financial support that will be used to purchase and ship medical equipment to Ukraine.
She has twice been to the country following the Russian military invasion at the end of February sa国际传媒� which sparked Europesa国际传媒檚 most deadly conflict since the Second World War sa国际传媒� and will be returning to the country near the end of October.
With specialization in emergency medicine and risk, crisis and disaster management, along with a military background as a reserve medical officer, Dr. Parnell said she wanted to volunteer after hearing what was happening from a friend who lived in Lviv.
Her last two sojourns into Ukraine had stops in Lviv, Kyiv, and eventually, to the warsa国际传媒檚 eastern front line, spending the majority of her time with the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital sa国际传媒� a volunteer organization of physicians who provide care and evacuation for the wounded.
sa国际传媒淚n my time there, it became very evident that the medical staff were incredibly passionate and dedicated, but they lacked the equipment that we would consider just standard equipment here,sa国际传媒� Dr. Parnell said.
sa国际传媒淚 cansa国际传媒檛 emphasize enough that the medical staff are doing so much with so little. Theysa国际传媒檙e innovative, they have an incredible desire to learn and make sure theysa国际传媒檙e doing their best, but they just donsa国际传媒檛 have the equipment that we take for granted in any small community [here].
sa国际传媒淭o me, thatsa国际传媒檚 not acceptable.sa国际传媒�
The scale of destruction on the Ukrainian front line is unfathomable, she said.
sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 trenches, theresa国际传媒檚 shelling, theresa国际传媒檚 loss of limbs like Isa国际传媒檝e never seen,sa国际传媒� Dr. Parnell said. sa国际传媒淭he ones who are going to die are going to die, but theresa国际传媒檚 a whole pile of people who donsa国际传媒檛 have to die and those are the ones we want to focus on making sure they get what they need to do the job.
sa国际传媒淎nd the training to use the equipment sa国际传媒� theresa国际传媒檚 no point just sending stuff over without supporting them with the training and the support they need as well.sa国际传媒�
Working conditions for those volunteering with the mobile hospital are intense, as Ukrainian civilians bear the brunt of Russian shelling.
Rocket artillery leaves craters large enough for a school bus to fit inside.
Volunteers with the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital set up and work where they can, sometimes in places like an old mechanics shop. The hole in the mechanic bay for tinkering underneath vehicles is used as a makeshift bunker during shelling.
Stacks of wooden pallets are used as makeshift beds for patients who need treatment and care.
Dr. Parnell said the volunteer hospital may see upwards of 180 trauma patients daily. By contrast, some large trauma registries in the United States may see 200 patients in an entire year, she added.
She is hoping raise enough financial support to purchase as much of the necessary specialized medical equipment as possible. That includes 1,000 CAT tourniquets, 2,000 chest seals, specialized pressure bandages, ready heat blankets and special heated fluid (IV nad blood) pumps, stretchers and scoop stretchers.
While a stretcher might seem like a basic piece of medical equipment, Dr. Parnell says the ones being used over in Ukraine are made of canvas and typically covered in the blood of patients.
The chest seals are live-saving pieces of equipment used for closing open chest wounds, which are disturbingly frequent given the amount of artillery shelling.
All told, the total cost for whatsa国际传媒檚 needed is estimated at $150,000.
Dr. Parnell has set up an account with CTOMS sa国际传媒� a tactical medicine training company based in Edmonton sa国际传媒� that is dedicated to acquiring the specialized equipment sought by medical responders and doctors in Ukraine.
While well-intentioned people may wish to directly donate equipment, it may inadvertently not be the correct type or the quality may not be good enough, which is why the account was set up directly with the supplier, said Dr. Parnell.
Anyone interested in donating towards the medical equipment can contact CTOMS at 780-469-6106 and reference Sales Order Number SO177110 for Dr. Parnell.
Anyone with questions can reach out to Dr. Parnell via email at doctorTinua@gmail.com.
Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital was first formed in 2013 in response to a protest movement that formed after Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych did not sign an agreement with the European Union, instead favouring closer ties to Russia.
Organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross have been operating in Ukraine; however, not up near the front lines where the fighting is, according to Dr. Parnell.
sa国际传媒淭his is a very specific project thatsa国际传媒檚 aimed at stopping people from dying who donsa国际传媒檛 have to die,sa国际传媒� Dr. Parnell said. sa国际传媒淎nd if itsa国际传媒檚 your kids or your loved one who was there, you donsa国际传媒檛 want to find out that they bled to death when they didnsa国际传媒檛 have to, that their lungs collapsed when they didnsa国际传媒檛 have to
sa国际传媒淛ust simple, simple things and this is what this project is aimed at.sa国际传媒�
The Russian military invaded Ukraine in late February through illegal pretenses under the guise of a sa国际传媒榮pecial military operationsa国际传媒�.
According to a September press briefing from Matilda Bogner, the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, 14,059 civilian casualties has been corroborated by the agency, however, actual numbers are likely considerably higher.
Since the invasion, more than 7.2 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded across Europe, while 4.2 million are registered for temporary protection in European countries, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
trevor.crawley@cranbrooktownsman.com
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