Ukraine will launch an international medical cooperation program, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska announced on Aug. 20 during a visit to the Netherlands.
Zelenska visited the Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht, the largest Center for Pediatric Oncology in Europe.
"We appreciate that the Center immediately, back in March 2022, responded to the request of Ukrainian colleagues from the West Ukrainian specialized children's Medical Center to evacuate children," Zelenska said.
"We are grateful that the center accepts the most severe patients for treatment. And it does this within a week of our request. Currently, 95 children from Ukraine have been accepted for treatment here," she added.
She noted that the Princess Maxima Center regularly partners with doctors from Ukraine for educational exchanges and internships.
"Today, cooperation between the Princess Maxima Center for Children's Oncology and the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children's Medical Center was sealed by an official memorandum," Zelenska wrote on Facebook.
According to Zelenska, this cooperation will be the first practical example of cooperation within the framework of the International Medical partnership that Ukraine is starting.
"In order to cope now and lay the foundation for the period after the victory, Ukraine proposes the creation of an international medical Partnership Program. Each interested country can establish direct interaction with a specific hospital in Ukraine by choosing the appropriate institution for its part. Governments will accompany and direct this cooperation," Zelenska said.
Zelenska also met with the management of Royal Philips, a Dutch company that produces medical equipment.
Ukraine's healthcare system has been especially burdened by Russia's full-scale invasion, suffering an average of two attacks per day since Feb. 24, 2022.
Alexander Khrebet
