UK veterinary profession mobilises to send life-saving medical supplies to Ukraine

The UK veterinary profession is joining forces to send life-saving medical supplies to help the thousands of people injured as a result of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine last week (24 February), reports estimate that hundreds of men, women and children have lost their lives, with countless more civilians injured as bombs, missiles and rockets rain down across the country.

Now, a second-generation Ukrainian vet is mobilising colleagues across the UK to send supplies – including emergency and critical care medicines, bandages, tourniquets, antibiotics and surgical implants – to help emergency services swamped by casualties.

Horrific scenes

Having witnessed the horrific scenes as Russian forces advance through Ukraine, RSCPA vet Antonina Babchuk is coordinating an unprecedented response from the veterinary profession to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in her ancestral homeland.

Despite setting up her British Veterinary Professionals for Ukraine Facebook page just a few days ago, the group has almost 1,000 members – and four of the UK’s vet schools have agreed to act as drop-off points for the vital supplies.

Dr Babchuk said: “I am a second-generation Ukrainian, but I still have a lot of family in western Ukraine and close friends too who are dealing with air raids and watching as Russian missiles fly over their heads.

“So when I see what is happening out there, I feel emotions that I have never experienced before – emotions that I would never wish anyone to have to experience ever.

“The only way I can describe it is pure heartbreak, where you just feel empty and sad and helpless to the core.

“But I didn’t want to feel helpless and powerless – I wanted to do something, and when I saw that the Ukrainian Medical Association (UMA) was calling for medical supplies I knew that as a vet I could help and my colleagues across the UK could help, too.”

Overwhelming response

Having seen the UMA list, which included items found in most veterinary practices, Dr Babchuk set up her group and reached out to vets across the country for help – and she has been overwhelmed by the response.

She said: “While I was reading through that list I realised a lot of the items they need are used by vets every day like tranexamic acid, various antibiotics and ofloxacin eye drops, and I thought ‘Why are we waiting for the government to do this? We have the capacity; we have these’.

“So I started the Facebook group to share the list, and in just a few days we’ve been inundated with offers of help, and we get more every hour – it has been truly humbling.

“The one thing that has kept me going is the absolute outpouring of support and generosity from the UK profession.

“Even within a few hours of setting it up, I had people telling me they had stuff to donate and asking me where they were to take them, even before I had set up drop-off points. It has been overwhelming. The next hurdle was getting it to where it needs to be, and I hoped my home address would be too small to house it all.

“I wanted to keep this group as legitimate and as transparent as possible, so I contacted all of the vet schools to see if they would act as nationwide hubs for people to drop off supplies.

“So far, I have agreements from the RVC, Bristol, Nottingham and Surrey, and I expect Liverpool and Cambridge to come on board soon. I also worked at Willows Referrals in Solihull and they have offered to be a Birmingham drop-off point as well.”

Saving lives

Practices large and small have already been donating supplies to the cause, and every hour more British practices are joining the effort to help save as many lives as possible in war-torn Ukraine.

The RVC and the Universities of Nottingham, Surrey and Bristol are now accepting donations, and once the drop-off points have reached capacity, supplies – which also include orthopaedic implants, chest drains and drills – will be collected by the UMA and taken to Ukraine, where they will be distributed to the hospitals and medical centres most in need.

While the current focus is on emergency and critical care supplies, the operation is being geared up for the long haul as the needs of Ukraine change during the course of the bloody conflict.

‘Let’s do something’

Dr Babchuk added: “Depending on how long this goes on for, this might be an ongoing situation where we need to keep this effort going and tailor our approach as we go, so we can do what we can to help those poor people in any way possible.

“People are dying and the UK profession is responding to that, and I hope we can keep doing what we can to help.

“We have been going on about one health for years now and I think now is the time we can actually put that sentiment into play like never before. Humanity is in crisis – it’s just another species – so let’s do something.

“Even if one person or practice can only donate a little, it doesn’t matter as it all adds up and together we can make a massive difference. We can’t wait for governments – why should we wait for them to lead the way? We can lead the way. We can help so many species as vets and now is the time to add humans to that list.

“Let’s do something – let’s not sit here helplessly.”

For more information on the supplies needed and to join the British Veterinary Professionals for Ukraine group, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishvetsforukraine or scan the QR code.