Ukrainian children living with cancer to receive life-saving care in Germany
A specialist health team in Lviv, Ukraine, prepares 10-month-old Evelina for her medical evacuation to Germany.
In late July, 2024, WHO and health partners supported the evacuation of 8 children from Ukraine to Germany, where they can now continue their life-saving treatment.
The children were receiving treatment for cancer at Okhmatdyt hospital, the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine, which suffered extensive damage on 8 July amid the ongoing war.
These are some of the most vulnerable paediatric patients, in need of continuous specialist care. Two are in a critical condition.
Four-year-old Maiia sleeps on the trip from Ukraine to Germany.
Their gruelling, more than 24-hour journey began on Wednesday, 17 July, and took them in a convoy of ambulance-buses from Okhmatdyt hospital in Kyiv to Lviv in western Ukraine.
Jonathan Vinke, WHO Technical Consultant on Critical Care Patient Transfers assesses 4-month-old Sofiia before she is medically evacuated to Germany.
“Sofia is only 4 months old and was in a critical condition when I saw her,” said Jonathan Vinke, WHO Technical Consultant on Critical Care Patient Transfers.
“I was worried that she wouldn’t survive the 720 kilometre-long journey, but thanks to the dedication of all involved, I am relieved to say we were able to stabilize her in time to make the flight to Germany, where she will receive the urgent care she needs. This job can be tough, but it is moments like these that make it worthwhile. This delicate patient transfer wouldn’t have been possible without the team effort of multiple international and Ukrainian organizations, all supporting the Ministry of Health.”
Oksana feeds 3-year-old Dmytro before they depart for Germany via Lviv and Rzeszów, Poland to Germany.
Among the 8 children is 3-year-old Dmytro, who was evacuated with his mother, Oksana. Just over a month ago, Dmytro was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a type of bone marrow cancer.
“We’ve been coming to this hospital since early June. We had great hope for his treatment here,” Oksana told WHO. “At the time of the attack, we were in the hospital. It was a shock. Now, the hospital’s capacity is limited, so we are going abroad. The fight against this disease has been ongoing, and it’s very difficult. I’m traveling with my son, and we also have 2 older boys, aged 13 and 7, staying with my husband in Ukraine.”
Thirteen-year-old Dmytro leaves the Western Ukrainian Specialized Children’s Medical Centre in Lviv, en route to Rzeszów, Poland, before his flight to Germany. Dmytro is living with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Håkon Asak, Medical Director, Norwegian Medevac.
The convoy of ambulance-buses proceeded across the border to Rzeszów in Poland, from where a Norwegian aircraft flew the children to various locations in Germany to receive the necessary care. The flight, especially equipped for medical evacuations, was provided by the Government of Norway and co-funded by the European Union. Håkon Asak is the Medical Director who oversaw the medical evacuation from Poland to Germany.
“Today we are flying 8 paediatric patients with different diseases, some have complicated cancer diseases, others have surgical illnesses. On board we have patients ranging from a 4-and-a-half-month-old baby on a ventilator, to patients up to 15 years old. Because of the situation of the baby on the ventilator, we are flying at low altitude, which means we are avoiding low pressure; the hypobaric environment. We normally fly very high, so this is a little bit unusual a way of doing things, but it is to ensure safe care of the baby.”
Sofiia and her mother Margarita, on their trip to Germany where Sofiia will receive treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma.
On 8 July, the Okhmatdyt hospital was hit, killing 2 adults and injuring over 50 people, many of them children.
The strike severely damaged several departments, including the intensive care units and oncology and surgical wings, and destroyed the toxicology and traumatology departments. Hundreds of children, including those undergoing dialysis treatment, were evacuated into surrounding streets.
WHO has been working closely with Okhmatdyt hospital, ensuring it can provide life-saving care for thousands of children.
Jonathan Vinke, WHO Technical Consultant on Critical Care Patient Transfers, loads 4-month-old Evelina onto an aircraft destined for Germany.
“The Ukrainian health system and health workers have shown incredible resilience. For the past 2 years, WHO/Europe, with EU funding, has helped the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to manage medical evacuations to countries within the European Union and beyond,” said Ihor Perehinets from the Health Emergencies Programme at WHO/Europe. “We are proud to have contributed to building a sustainable, efficient, life-saving system that can be activated at short notice.”
Three-year-old Dmytro and his mother Oksana arrive in Germany, where Dmytro will continue his treatment.
WHO/Europe has been working on a long-running medevac programme with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the European Commission, the Government of Norway and other key health actors.
So far, over 4000 patients have been evacuated for specialized support, including trauma response, oncological treatment and prosthetic care.
WHO stands in solidarity with the health workers, patients and civilians of Ukraine impacted by over 2 years of full-scale war.