Donations collected during the business forum in Cherkasy were used to acquire ophthalmological equipment for defenders
Cherkasy Regional Hospital received an up-to-date slit lamp to diagnose eye diseases. The device was handed over to Cherkasy healthcare professionals by donors and representatives of local businesses. It was acquired with donations collected during the “Open Biz” Business Forum held with the support of the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration.
More than 120 representatives of small and medium-sized businesses of the Cherkasy region attended the forum. It became an important platform for raising awareness of their role in this historical period. The MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation added UAH 470,000 to the amount of UAH 87,000 donated by the Forum participants, which allowed the acquisition of important medical equipment to conduct faster and better examinations of civilians, veterans, and military personnel. A slit lamp worth UAH 500,000 replaced its 40-year-old predecessor in the ophthalmology department of the regional hospital.
“Due to its modern optics, the slit lamp allows doctors to examine the enlarged picture of the cornea and eye vascular system. This is especially important when examining our defenders, who mostly suffer eye injuries. A slit lamp helps doctors examine about 40–50 people a day,” explains Natalia Pustovit, head of the ophthalmology department at Cherkasy Regional Hospital.
MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation started its support of the Cherkasy Regional Hospital in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. MHP, in cooperation with the Foundation, allocated UAH 14 million to support hospitals in the region back then. The largest share of this aid was distributed to the Cherkasy Regional Hospital.
“The equipment is expensive, but it is necessary for the patients of the facility, firstly, for the military who undergo treatment and rehabilitation here. Therefore, the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation supported the initiative and multiplied the amount to acquire the said equipment. We need to help those who have returned from the front line and require treatment and recovery nowadays. Thus, MHP has launched the MHP Poruch program, intended for military reintegration and readaptation, which allowed thousands of our men and their families to get support,” notes Tetiana Volochai, Head of the Community Development Council of the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation.
Today, the Cherkasy Regional Hospital’s capacity is 810 patients, and it has been loaded at 95–98% since the full-scale invasion started. Its personnel is 1,700 people. 11–13 operating theaters are open every day.