Overview

The National Cancer Coalition donated much need cancer pharmaceuticals for the needy patients of the Children's Cancer Institute in Minsk, as part of a United States Department of State humanitarian airlift of pharmaceuticals to Belarus.

The Need

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in 1986 had a devastating impact on the country of Belarus. This accident resulted in dramatically higher incidences of cancer in the population of Belarus. Due to the affects of Chernobyl, there have been significant increases in the number of cases of both thyroid cancer and leukemia in this region.

The Hospitals
	The principal recipient of NCC donated medicines was the Children's Oncology Center of the Republic of Belarus. This 140 bed pediatric cancer hospital, is the primary hospital for Belarus' hundreds of new childhood cancers cases each year. Other recipients of the donated medicines included the Republican Oncology Institute in Minsk and the Oncological Dispensary Hospital in Baranovichi.

Distribution

NCC's project was a part of Operation Provide Hope, the U.S. State Department's series of humanitarian airlifts to provide required medicines to countries in the former Soviet Union. Officials on-hand to meet the planeload of donated medicines at Minsk International Airport included: U.S. Ambassador to Belarus George Krol; U.S. Ambassador for Foreign Assistance to Europe and Eurasia Thomas Adams; Belarusian Vice Minister of Health Vladimir Kolbanov; U.S. State Department's Director of Humanitarian Programs Jerry Oberndorfer; NCC Director of Relief Programs Tom Roane; CitiHope International President Paul Moore; Heart to Heart International President Dr. Gary Morsch; representatives of local humanitarian foundations and recipient hospitals, as well as the Belarusian media. The dignitaries and official delegation also visited a number of the recipient cancer hospitals after the ceremony.

Results

NCC's donation should result in over 100 patients with pediatric leukemia and other types of cancer being successfully treated for the duration of their illness.