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DESPITE THE ONGOING violence in Ukraine an Irish funded team of cardiac surgeons is preparing to fly to the east of the Ukraine early next week to carry out operations on 60 children suffering from genetic heart defects.
The team is set to fly out next Monday and is made up of internationally renowned specialists from the US, Canada and Nicaragua.
The “mercy mission” is organised by Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International aid agency who state that the operations are so urgent the team are prepared to “run the gauntlet of daily shootings and killings in the secessionist pro-Russian border region.
Last month the organisation said the crisis was stopping children get life-saving operations, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Brendan Smith urging the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Éamon Gilmore to intervene in the matter.
Already the operations – twice postponed because of the high level violence in eastern Ukraine – may now go ahead if the volunteer multi-national team of surgeons, can succeed in flying into to the eastern city of Kharkiv.
The news has been greeted with delight by the parents and families of the children.
“They were crying for joy when they heard the team was preparing to fly in to carry out the operations,” said Dr. Igor Polivenok, of Kharkiv Hospital.
“There are no words to express our joy. This will give these children a real chance to live,” he added.
The surgery programme has been funded by the aid agency over the past ten years and since 2004, €3 million has been raised in Ireland to fund the programme.
The team are in the middle of “intense negotiations” to try to get the team safely in and out of Kharkiv.
Adi Roche said:
We know the situation throughout eastern Ukraine is still extremely dangerous but we feel that we cannot turn our backs on the children who so desperately need these operations.We discussed the possibility of moving them to either the Ukrainian capital Kiev or to Minsk in Belarus to have their surgery but logistically this proved to have many difficulties.
The team are hopeful that they will be able to make it in to the country next week, they said.
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I cycled by there this morning – the response from our emergency services was amazing. Especially the fire brigades.
You wouldn’t believe the amount of people stopping to take pictures/videos on their phones.
@Shane Dunne: Sad to hear that somebody has died in this fire.
@Shane Dunne: Totally agree Shane, I witnessed a fire recently. Thankfully nobody was injured but the family lost everything they owned.
A group outside a pub about half a mile away flew a drone over the fire for a good while not knowing if anyone had died or not.
It was very upsetting for the family watching their possessions and home burn.
@Shane Dunne: Even the Journal took one….
I live in a pre-63 house split into flats and if a fire started and spread quickly it would be very hard to get out. I try not to think about it too much. RIP
@Lisa Saputo: All due respect etc, but why did you choose to live there?
@Neal Ireland Hello.: what a silly question ?
@Margaret Murphy: it’s not really. If it’s a worry then why do it.
@Lisa Saputo: Contrary to the two other replies,some of us have little other choice than to rent where we can afford,with a view to buying in the future. It’s foolish for anyone to tell you to move,perhaps you could use this as an example for your landlord (if any) to review the property.Failing that you can contact you local council’s environmental department to assess your letting if you have a concern that it does not meet minimum standards. If you live in Dublin you literally just contact DCC Environmental and they will advise you further,I have used them once before and could not recommend them enough.
@Neal Ireland Hello.: maybe she has no choice. Maybe it’s a choice between that and living on the street. The rental market is insane at the moment.
@Neal Ireland Hello.: its obvious Neal she likes to live on the edge.
What a pathetic question.
@Vincent: I would imagine the views are spectacular, why would think Vincent.
@Lisa Saputo: make sure you have a working fire alarm system that is properly maintained. Also make sure the emergency lighting is functioning and regularly serviced.
@Neal Ireland Hello.: As dignified as always, take a bow.
@Neal Ireland Hello.: Suppose it was there fault for choosing to live there?
@Neal Ireland Hello.: All due respect etc, but why did you choose to ask such a stupid question?
@Vincent: it is really.
@WinSomeLoseSome: the only stupid question is the one not asked. I wouldn’t live somewhere if I thought it represented a serious risk to my safety/life.
@Tony Carberry: ah didn’t you know you can just ‘get a better job’ and live in an tower of ivory looking down on the peasents ?
@Tony Carberry: ah didn’t you know you can just ‘get a better job’ and live in an tower of ivory looking down on the peasents ?
@Neal Ireland Hello.: Budget at the time of moving in, and now we are trying to save for our deposit so options are limited unless we want to rent for the rest of our lives.
@Conor Doran: In fairness to my landlord, that all works quite well so would probably be fine but the building is the same type as the one in Rathmines.
Just heard there was a fatality. Sad news rip
This was in Grove Park,not Grove Road,I live a few doors down. The quality of the living spaces on this road vary dramatically from house to house. I hope the fire alarm wasn’t just some bog standard smoke alarm in each flat,there needs to be a proper multi unit system. Such a sad thing to happen to these people. RIP to the person who lost their life.
@Tony Carberry: Was on vieweing there for some attic room years ago. Didn’t suit me as I wanted space for my bike and there was no option to bring it there because stars too narrow. It was extremely claustrophobic place, wouldn’t image if fire occurs at bottom level – the only run was a roof probably..
Just looking at the arrangement of the outside waste pipes, gives one a few hints.
Back in the 1970s I shared a bedsitter with a friend of mine in that area for short while. I never even thought of a smoke alarm. I don’t think there was any such thing. So sorry for the man who lost his life. RIP.
And the government is considering allowing substandard bedsit accommodation as one of its solutions to the housing emergency.
I heard from my own landlord that it was said to have been a hair straightener that caused the fire on the second floor. It might be a rumour but that’s what I was told today when I asked for a full review of our fire alarm to be done this week. We are still very shocked by this incident on our road.
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