Sunderland GP surgeries team up to donate specialist medical supplies to Ukraine

NHS staff across the region have pulled together to create Medical Aid Ukraine North East in an effort to deliver medical supplies to the war-torn country as the fight with Russia continues.

Karolis Rozanas, a 37-year-old from Lithuania who is a foundation year 2 doctor at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, co-founded the group with Katarzyna Kostrzewa, a 35-year-old surgical trainee with Health Education England North East.

As the group expanded, Elliott Philips, a GP trainee at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust and member of Medical Aid Ukraine North East, got involved and has appealed to GP surgeries in Sunderland for further help.

The 25-year-old said: “As the operation has grown, a decision has been made to focus more on collecting at spare trauma gear.

“Many GPs in Sunderland have been giving minor surgery equipment which will help deal with injuries that are commonly found in a battlefield environment.

"The equipment will allow medical staff in Ukraine to patch up wounds, give stitches and stem any bleeding.

"We are hoping that more GP surgeries or medical supply companies will be able to donate more to us as the list of what we are asking for is becoming quite specialist.”

The support that Medical Aid Ukraine North East is receiving continues to grow by the day

Elliott added: “The growth has been wonderful, the number of people who are coming forward to help is fantastic.

"We are seeing more groups and companies beginning to engage with us so it is going superbly so far.

"Even members of the public are coming to us to ask how they can help however at the moment the stuff we are asking for isn’t things that people will have lying around at home.

"We are starting to look at possible fundraising options as a way of getting money together to send more specific things across to Ukraine such as various medications.”

For more details on what supplies Medical Aid Ukraine North East are appealing for, then click here.

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