Ukrainian charity fund BGV and the government of Estonia launched a joint program for free prosthetics and rehabilitation of Ukrainians who lost their limbs due to hostilities in Ukraine. The prosthetics of Ukrainians, primarily military, are carried out in Tallinn at one of Estonia's most modern hospitals — Ida-Tallinn Keskhaigla (East Tallinn Central Hospital). The medical institution is one of the largest in the country, including seven clinics staffed by more than 2,500 employees.
As part of the program, patients are produced and fitted with state-of-the-art bionic electronic prostheses that are individually adjusted to a specific user's needs, ensuring complete symmetry and naturalness of gait (for prosthetics of the lower limbs). Such prostheses are equipped with shock absorbers and several moving elements for increased physical activity. They also have a special mobile app that makes it possible to switch from walking to various sports modes, thus ensuring high comfort of use and level of motor activity. The cost of one such prosthesis reaches €70,000-80,000.
"For us it is very important to help and support Ukraine. In cooperation with Ukrainians we have started our project by providing rehabilitation services and prosthetics for Ukrainians who have lost their limbs through traumatic injuries. And we are already working on next projects to broaden the scope of cooperation" said the Deputy Secretary General on Health at the Ministry of Social Affairs, dr Heidi Alasepp.
As part of the program, two Ukrainians who returned from Estonia to Ukraine in March and are continuing their rehabilitation at national medical facilities have already received prostheses from the BGV Charity Fund and the Estonian government. The first participants in the program were Taras Vynarchyk, an aerial scout of the 15th separate artillery reconnaissance brigade, who lost his leg in August 2022 while performing the task of adjusting artillery fire with the help of an unmanned aerial vehicle, and Oleksandr Horokhivskyi from Chernihiv region, who lost a limb during the siege of the northern city of Chernihiv, having received a gunshot wound with complications.
Prosthetics within the program are completely free for Ukrainians: production, fitting, rehabilitation at the East Tallinn Central Hospital, and logistical costs are covered by the project initiators. By the end of the year, the cooperation partners plan to organize prosthetics for 20 Ukrainian military and civilians who lost limbs due to russia's full-fledged invasion.
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Throughout last year, Estonia has made every effort to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine. The country has supported Ukraine politically, economically, and militarily, ensured crucial humanitarian aid and launched reconstruction efforts. Estonia has helped Ukrainian refugees, by offering social protection and wide range of healthcare services.
Ongoing rehabilitation project is initiated by the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia in cooperation with Estonian Defence Forces and East Tallinn Central Hospital. Estonia has carried out different cooperation projects with Ukraine in the field of rehabilitation since 2014.
The BGV Charity Fund was founded by Ukrainian entrepreneur and philanthropist Hennadii Butkevych to organize aid to Ukraine during the war and rebuild the country after the victory. The fund is engaged in the search, purchase, legal support, and organization of the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine for those in need — children, vulnerable population groups, military, medical institutions, and volunteer organizations. The fund works to protect, restore and develop Ukraine. The partners of the BGV fund are responsible businesses from Ukraine and all over Europe. The charity organization cooperates with companies in Germany, Italy, Estonia, Austria, Poland, Romania, etc. During the year of the large-scale war in Ukraine, the BGV Charity Fund delivered more than 300 trucks of humanitarian aid from Europe. This is almost 6,000 tons of goods, with the commercial value reaching more than UAH 300 million. As of today, the fund has already attracted about $10.5 million of support for Ukraine, both direct financing and commodity support. Humanitarian projects of the fund cover 23 regions of Ukraine. More than 250 institutions and organizations in Ukraine received humanitarian aid delivered from Europe by the BGV team.