Kyiv, October 16, 2014. Canadian surgeons are coming to Ukraine to perform reconstructive surgeries on Ukrainians injured during Maidan and the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine. This was stated by Victor Hetmanczuk, the President of Canada Ukraine Foundation, during his press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Operation Rainbow Canada, a Canadian non-governmental organization committed to performing surgeries around the world, will come to Ukraine in November in cooperation with the Canada Ukraine Foundation.
The Canada Ukraine Foundation was founded in 1995, and aims to support the development of rule of law, a strong economy, advancement of religion, and a vibrant civil society in Ukraine. Since the start of the Euromaidan protest movement and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Canada Ukraine Foundation has participated in actions beneficial to the Ukrainian people. The Foundation has supported the families of those killed on Maidan or in the east, and sent a team of psychologists to the ATO zone three months ago.
The organization is now cooperating with Operation Rainbow Canada to send a team of surgeons to Ukraine to treat trauma victims and train Ukrainian surgeons in cutting edge surgical technology and methodology. The surgeons will arrive in Ukraine on November 7, and treat Ukrainian patients who have suffered injuries to the face, skull, and upper extremities. The program will also include a live surgical demonstration in Toronto, which will be linked to Ukrainian surgeons so that they can learn about complicated procedures. “The objective is to foster self-reliance in Ukrainian surgery centers when it comes to trauma and post-trauma reconstructive surgery,” stated Hetmanczuk. The surgical team will remain in Ukraine for one week, and expects to treat more than one hundred patients at four military hospitals.
The Canada Ukraine Foundation hopes that the initiative will help victims of facial trauma, and will also assist in the development of cutting edge surgical methods in Ukraine. Operation Rainbow has extensive experience implementing organizing and implementing international missions, and Hetmanczuk hopes that the program will be very beneficial for Ukraine.