Letter from the TB dispensary: page 1, page 2
We write again about tuberculosis! - Rather about the fight against this terrible diagnosis which it is not only scary but sometimes embarrassing to speak out loud. Tuberculosis is a disease that still causes a mixture of horror and disgust among others, despite the fact according to WHO that these "silent" tuberculosis bacteria infect one-third of the world's population. The Zaporizhzhia Regional Tuberculosis Clinic carried out 170 operations in 2018, and 163 more in just the first nine months of 2019. Not only human workers are involved in the fight against the disease, but also legacy remnants of technical progress that remain in the TB clinic.
The handsome machine standing so majestically in the center of the operating room is actually an old mechanical ventilation apparatus. The service life of rescuers like it depends not on age but on utilization. It was installed in 2004 with an expected service life of five years. After least ten years, it surely should be retired because instead of twelve thousand hours, it has worked over thirty-five thousand. But it’s the only one in the operating room of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Tuberculosis Clinic. It has already been repaired five times because any replacement was unaffordable. It could “die” forever at a most inopportune moment. It’s not difficult to foresee that failure will lead to human tragedies. There is another apparatus in the department of anesthesiology and intensive care, which already was repaired three times in the past three years of slaving away.
This is dismal reality. In spite of the seeming hopelessness, there is a way out! As soon as possible, funds for a brand new apparatus need to be raised. Well, for at least one! For the expected caseload, the clinic should have one apparatus in the operating room and six in the department of anesthesia and intensive care.
Because this is such a dire issue, Charity Fund Happy Child is raising funds for a brand new medical ventilator costing about $18,400 USD (450,000 UAH). This is a considerable amount, so we’re counting on generous support from people who understand the critical importance of this equipment. This is the only way we can prevent tragedies!
Please support our project on Ukrainian Philanthropic Exchange: ubb.org.ua/en/project/5564/
