October 30, 2020
On October 24, the U.S. Government began providing Ukrainian hospitals with portable blood gas analyzers to help treat COVID-19 patients. Eighteen medical facilities from 13 oblasts will receive the equipment to properly diagnose potential respiratory complications in COVID-19 infected patients who are on ventilators.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on Ukrainian hospitals, which sometimes lack specialized oxygen equipment. USAID is committed to helping mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in Ukraine and around the world. These commodities are one piece of the U.S. Government’s larger effort in Ukraine to provide medical professionals with the tools they need in dealing with COVID-19,” explained USAID/Ukraine Mission Director Jim Hope.
Hospitals in 13 oblasts — Zakarpatia, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Sumy, Rivne, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Odesa, and Volyn — are receiving the portable blood gas analyzers along with reagents for an initial 17,000 tests.
The equipment quickly and accurately evaluates the likelihood of developing severe respiratory complications in patients with COVID-19, allowing doctors to conduct a full range of emergency tests on critically ill patients.
Medical personnel can use the equipment wherever necessary — near the patient’s bed, in operating rooms, or in ambulances. The tests are easy to perform and do not require specialized training. The analyzers can also be used for patients with heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia, oncological issues and those in intensive care.
Since March, USAID has provided about $19 million to Ukraine for COVID-19 support in healthcare services, humanitarian assistance, public awareness and information, essential commodities, and the automation of government processes and services. USAID’s work is part of the overall $41 million U.S. Government support package to assist Ukraine in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
