TEL-AVIV, Israel– Medcase is partnering with local and international organizations to provide on-the-ground and virtual medical assistance for Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Poland, and Romania as part of its Medcase For Good initiative.
The initial relief activities called for an emergency response from the Jewish Agency to assist thousands of geriatric refugees in Romania. Refugees were seen by providers and treated with 24/7 care from pain medication to psychological services. This initiative has expanded to include representation from the World Health Organization (WHO), and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), a leading global humanitarian organization. “In the last few days, we have seen thousands of refugees who require triaging – suffering from an array of medical conditions, both physical and emotional. We are working diligently with the Medcase team to offer significant and timely assistance to all refugees who come through our doors,” said Valentina Khomenko, Jewish Agency Emissary in Bucharest. She continued, “ Medcase provided two full teams who began working within a few hours’ alert at the Ramada Hotel, where they have already managed to treat and stabilize hundreds of ill patients suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, psychological distress, COVID-19, and impaired mobility.”
Dr. Irina Budrina, one of the first clinicians to attend on-site, emphasized the importance of swift medical care. She said, “older people have a hard time responding to stress, they need medication for blood pressure and arrhythmias, sleep medications and sedatives,” and being a part of the Medcase team enabled early intervention.
Today, in liaison with the Romanian Ministry of Health, over a dozen local healthcare professionals are now available on-site providing both medical and mental health assistance to refugees. Additionally, another 50 Ukrainian/Russian-speaking healthcare professionals, as well as thousands of others, have been made available to provide support virtually through the Medcase network. Providers saw refugees over telehealth in a truly multi-specialty effort, covering specialties across Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, General Practice, Emergency Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, and more.
“Our goal”, says CEO and Co-Founder Kyle Giddens, “is for our company to give back and unite the healthcare community at every level, across every continent, through democratizing access to healthcare. In one word, we must increase access to health. Our team has loved ones and colleagues in Ukraine, and is feeling this crisis first-hand. We hope that others will join us in making sure Ukrainians and refugees have access to basic needs like healthcare.”
Amid the ongoing urgency of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, Medcase will continue to activate the healthcare community and utilize the Medcase platform to rapidly mobilize healthcare resources, and swiftly deliver medical aid to thousands of Ukrainians.
