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First shipment of emergency medical supplies from Depaul, St John Ambulance arrives in Ukraine

  • Ruby Wright

The first major shipment of emergency medical supplies has now reached Kharkiv in the east of the country. The city has been devastated by air attacks, and demand for medical supplies is very high.

This shipment includes 12,000 tourniquets, which are used to stem blood loss in limb injuries, along with additional medical supplies, which are very much needed as conflict escalates in the country. St John Ambulance's medical and training experts have created online resources - www.sja.org.uk/ukraine-response/, how-to guides translated into Ukrainian and Russian, showing how to deal with injuries such as gunshot wounds, burns and broken bones.

Father Vitaliy Novak CM, Chair of the Trustees for Depaul Ukraine, says: "The partnership between Depaul Ukraine and St John Ambulance is so important. Depaul Ukraine can ask medical staff on the ground what supplies are needed. We then work with St John Ambulance to get the supplies to the Ukrainian border, and we make sure the supplies get to where they are most needed in the country. People in Ukraine are suffering from such terrible life-threatening injuries. We hope this will be the first of many medical shipments."

Chief Executive of St John Ambulance, Martin Houghton-Brown said: "Everyone across St John has been moved by the tragic scenes in Ukraine and has wanted to respond. Having worked with Father Vitaliy and Depaul for many years I know that through this partnership we are able to be very targeted in our support, making sure that what we provide, how we provide it and how it gets to where it is most needed are all carefully thought through. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who need these urgent medical supplies and we continue to hope for peace."

Depaul Ukraine was founded in 2007 as a response to the growing numbers of homeless people in the country. The charity supported displaced people when Russia invaded in 2014, and today demand for its services has never been higher. Depaul Ukraine has now scaled-up its humanitarian response, transporting aid from the Slovakia, to where it is most needed inside Ukraine. In addition to emergency first-aid equipment, Depaul is also transporting food and other essential items across the country.

Group CEO of Depaul International, Matthew Carter, said: "We are pleased to announce that the first shipment of urgent medical supplies has now reached Kharkiv on the Russian border. Medical staff from Kharkiv hospital are on standby to receive the equipment. As everyone has seen on the news, civilians including women, children and the elderly are suffering from horrendous injuries. This shipment of emergency medical supplies will undoubtedly save lives of some very vulnerable people.

"We are very grateful to our partner St John Ambulance, and also to the public for their overwhelming generosity."

LINK

For more information and to donate to the Depaul Ukraine Emergency Appeal, see: https://int.depaulcharity.org/fundraising-for-depaul-ukraine/

St John Ambulance: www.sja.org.uk

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