Hello everyone,
Last Thursday I traveled to Kalinovka with Dr. Mariana. She checked all of the children with medical concerns, gave recommendations to Olga Nikolaevna, the local medic, and wrote out a list of the most necessary medicines. The children’s most pressing problems at present are digestive-intestinal (the bed-ridden children’s bowels are stopped up and they’re subsequently forced to do enemas). Mariana prescribed various medicines to improve bowel function, as well as vitamins, heart, and neurological medicines. Today I bought most of the necessary medicines (that the children’s home cannot buy with government funds). I’m sending a list and photos of these medicines. The total cost: 1280 UAH ($253) (wholesale prices); some of the medicine will last for a couple of months, while other medicine will only last two weeks.
As before, it would be desirable to provide neurological consultation. Mariana recommends that we administer quality neurological medicine to a few of the children with the best prospects, and observe the results. This treatment would be quite expensive, and we shouldn’t expect miracles, but at the same time the condition of many of the children could improve. At this point they have not referred anyone to the hospital for treatment.
Of course, Olga Nikolaevna’s qualifications as a pediatrician are not that extensive (she is a dentist by profession), but I liked the fact that she takes the children’s problems to heart, and in the case of complications raises an alarm, calls for an ambulance, and hospitalizes the child in the Chernigov regional hospital. She also encourages the nurses diligently to fulfill their responsibilities (for example, when necessary they’ve given daily enemas to the children with digestive problems). I think that the regular care from Mariana and other Zaporizhzhia doctors will improve the medical situation. In general Dr. Mariana noted that the children’s condition in comparison with September 2007 has noticeably improved. She only advises that the rooms be ventilated, that cots be disinfected with quartz lamps during outbreaks of colds among the children, and that they also be taken outside for fresh air.
I am planning to visit Kalinovka May 2-3 to find out about the purchase of a house and visit with the children. I think that it would be worth it to look over the possibility of buying a house in Pamphilovka. While it is 11 km from the children’s home, the village is located on the main road and a van runs six times a day to Kalinovka. According to the caretakers, a house in Makovka is more expensive, and access to civilization from Makovka more difficult (although Kalinovka is closer). In short, I will look over all the options and take pictures of the houses. We can then decide what to do.
The other day I received a package from Kiev for Kalinovka with 36 packets of Peptamen plus educational toys and office supplies (net worth: 2500 UAH ($495)).
Below are several photos of items recently purchased with donors’ help and delivered to Kalinovka
Albert Pavlov, detizp@mail.ru
