One CSOs Partnership with Business Provides Critical Medication to the Poor

There are nearly 300 distributors of wholesale medicine in the Lviv region with over 6,000 pharmacists and their assistants working in 2,500 privately owned pharmacies.  The pharmaceutical and medical industry’s employees require professional growth, better marketing, IT communication, and presentation skills for the sector to develop.  Unfortunately, today’s universities do not adequately equip its students with the right knowledge and skills needed to successfully work in the pharmaceutical sector. 

The pharmaceutical industry: pharmacy owners, industry representatives, medicine producers, pharmacists, mid-level managers and physicians is demanding specialized educational, informational/legal, and training services.  However, no one is qualified to provide them for simple reason that such programs do not exist.

A new project was started by the “Halytskyi Aptekar” charity fund:  a regional Center, whose goal is to support the initiatives of the pharmaceutical and medicinal sectors, began to work. A regional Center a new project, whose goal is to support the initiatives of the pharmaceutical and medicinal sectors, joined pharmaceutical companies with the “Halytskyi Aptekar” charity fund.  The marriage between the two entities launched a project to provide medicine to vulnerable groups such as orphans and the elderly.

The Center’s goal was twofold: provide valuable resources to Halytskyi Aptekar by delivering trainings, consultations, and organizing conferences; and to help the charity implement activities involving pharmacists and physicians from the surrounding region to aid vulnerable members of society.

The Center conducted 32 paid trainings and seminars to pharmaceutical and medical employees of the region on such topics as, pharmaceutical marketing, finance, and management.   It also held two practical-scientific conferences at the request of community, professional, and pharmaceutical organizations.  In addition, two foreign pharmaceutical companies gave presentations and 17 consultations were given to pharmacy owners.

The for-profit activity of the Center earned 48, 605 UAH, which was used to help Halytskyi Aptekar in its charity work.  This included giving medicine to vulnerable groups. Halytskyi Aptekar saw an increase in the number of people reached over the previous year. 

During the project’s implementation, over 60,000 UAH of medical aid and hygienic products were acquired, transported, and distributed.  Over 30,000 UAH medicine was procured from the regional network of medical warehouses.  Mostly, these medicines, just weeks from expiring, were delivered to area hospitals or clinics to be used promptly.

The Center’s work helped improve the reputation of the charity fund in medicinal and pharmaceutical circles as well as build trust between the two parties to create new forms of cooperation with various government health agencies including inspectors of drugs and other medical products.

In September 2005, at the 6^th national pharmaceutical industry awards ceremony organized by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and the Association of Pharmaceutical Producers, the Halytskyi Aptekar charity fund received an award for its charitable project.

The Advocacy Network “Together Against Cancer” Works  With Government to Fight Breast CancerWith Government to Fight Breast Cancer

Every 35 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in Ukraine, and every hour this most common oncological disease causes a death.  In most cases, the high mortality rate (far above the European average) is attributed to detection of the cancer when it is already terminal.  Average women and even medical personnel are insufficiently informed about the possibility of early tumor detection.  Medical officials do not require timely and periodic examinations for women; do not maintain standard treatment practices; and do not offer the necessary drugs and prosthetic devices when needed. 

However, according to Halyna Maistruk, the CEO of the “Women’s Health and Family Planning” Charity Fund, “In order to force the government to address the problem, we united the efforts of select non-government organizations in a network called, ‘Together Against Cancer’ and conducted a nationwide public outreach campaign under the name of ‘Knowledge Conquers Cancer.’” A leading global cosmetics company supported the outreach campaign by financing the design, printing, and dissemination of a 100,000 information cards on how to administer self-examinations for detecting lumps in breasts.  In addition, and thanks to the financial help of its business partners, the charity introduced a national hotline for over-the-phone consultations from leading Kyiv experts. 

At a training in Yalta, the “Women’s Health and Family Planning” charity fund shared its valuable fundraising experience with coalition members discussing how they received financial help from Kyiv’s authorities for a post-operative rehabilitation program.  As a result, 44 women were able to undergo rehabilitation at a Yalta sanatorium with the city of Kyiv covering expenses.  Monies for similar endeavors are now earmarked under the city’s “Turbota” (Care) program for the next several years.  The success in Kyiv inspired a Vinnytsia-based charity, “Adamant,” to secured 750,000 UAH from the regional administration for the purchase of a digital mammograph.  Furthermore, women who undergo surgery are now provided with free prosthetic devices. 

Advice on how to self-test for breast cancer, stories on how women fought cancer and the right to remain full-fledged members of society were printed widely in women’s publications.  Recently, national TV channels aired a documentary film called “Anti-Cancer Corps” about women who fought the deadly cancer, survived, and united in non-government organizations to protect their rights. 

The advocacy network which included 25 CSOs from different regions in Ukraine and the highly successful public awareness campaign it conducted drew government attention to breast cancer problems. Parliament held a hearing on breast cancer and other closely related problems are scheduled for 2006.