Medical supplies for Ukrainian armed forces

by Alex Wallis in Bristol, England, United Kingdom

Medical supplies for Ukrainian armed forces
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On 20th August 2024 we successfully raised £2,750 with 41 supporters in 86 days

I am raising money to buy and donate emergency medical supplies to the frontline in Ukraine.

by Alex Wallis in Bristol, England, United Kingdom

 New stretch target


I have been following the Daily Telegraph’s "Ukraine: the latest" Podcast for over two years now.  In particular I have been struck by the work volunteers are doing both inside and outside Ukraine, in particular I was moved by a small group who deliver vital vehicles and kit, including essential emergency medical supplies, direct to specialist Ukrainian units on the front line. I was struck particularly by the unnecessary loss of military personnels’ lives as a result of a shortage in good quality emergency medical supplies. 

 For more information, you can listen to the following Daily Telegraph podcasts:

 - Ukraine: The Latest: Sunny Days in Kramatorsk (Part I) on Apple Podcasts - 25/12/2023

 - Ukraine: The Latest: Sunny Days in Kramatorsk (Part II) on Apple Podcasts - 26/12/2023

 - Ukraine: The Latest: Heavy shelling in Donbas and interview with an undercover volunteer supplying the front lines on Apple Podcasts - 21/11/2022

 - Ukraine: The Latest: Ukrainian partizans in Kherson, Putin's trolls & catch-up with an undercover volunteer on Apple Podcasts - 06/03/23

Having listened and researched further, I felt compelled to get involved. Since then, as a family we bought and donated a vehicle which arrived safely on the Ukrainian frontline last month. The team has been incredibly helpful and responsive, even providing updates along their 2,000 mile journey and then a video and photos once the vehicle was handed over to the Ukrainian assault brigade.

Still, the devastating impact the shortage of medical supplies is having stays with me. With the money raised through this crowdfunder, I will purchase as many medical supplies as possible, donate these to the team who will then arrange transportation of these to the Ukraine ensuring they get directly into the hands of the frontline medics who so desperately need them. The aim is simple, to save lives that would otherwise be lost unnecessarily.

Via the team, Ukrainian combat medics have given a detailed list of the key items that are currently in short supply along with specific purchase details to ensure that anything purchased is of a suitable quality and specification. I have also spoken to a British armed forces medic who has spent time in Ukraine training Ukrainian medics. He has confirmed the situation out there with shortage of good quality supplies and shares the view of the Ukrainian medics around the most useful items.

The items I am looking to buy with any money raised are:

  • Haemostatic gauze – This has a clotting agent that staunches sever bleeding and is a big lifesaver (c.£30 each)
  • Crepe bandages – These are used as traditional bandages but also scrunched up and packed into severe wounds as a temporary fix (<£1 each)
  • Swabs for large wounds (< £1 each)
  • Major bleed pressure bandage (c. £5 each)
  • Surgical tape – Used as normal surgical tape but also as a temporary chest seal (c. £2 each)
  • Chest seals – The medics tell us that they are losing almost as many people to chest wounds due to the significant shortage in chest seals as they are to blood loss (between £1 and £10 each depending on size)
  • Combat application tourniquet – These are designed to be put on with one hand by the patient (or medic). The medics tell us that ensuring these are excellent quality is essential as the cheaper ones are too flimsy which makes them less effective, especially bearing in mind the state of the patient who may be putting it on themselves (c. £30 each)

 As you can see, many of these items are relatively low in value so any amount you are able to give, no matter how large or small, would have a direct impact on someone’s life.

Thank you.

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