Project «Providing spiritual-psychological, medical assistance to the liquidators of the Chornobyl NPP disaster».

Project goal: To provide comprehensive medical and social services to liquidators.

Needs of each patient and corresponding ability to provide support by the Charitable Foundation "Caritas – Kyiv” were identified and agreed after meetings with the liquidators, the leadership of the all-Ukrainian civic organization "Chornobyl Union of Ukraine" and the project manager.

Signing agreements with the liquidators regarding provision of assistance by the Fund will be carried out at the beginning of the project. According to the wish of the project recipient, he/she will receive necessary spiritual assistance (support, advice, confession, etc.).

Development of nuclear power in many countries again becomes a priority and, obviously, the increasing danger of radioactive contamination in the global dimension is not an issue of the distant future. Therefore, ascertaining population-genetic consequences for radionuclide emissions into the environment caused by the Chornobyl disaster acquire special importance. For the first time humankind was confronted with the phenomenon of having almost all elements of D. Mendeleyev table in the radioactive state discharged into the atmosphere. Chornobyl, this new factor in the evolution, generates unpredictable vectors.

The scope of the disaster consequences by its scale is global. Governments of the three republics - Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in 1990 appealed to the UN with the proposal for the consideration of this issue by the General Assembly. That same year, the special mission of this organization visited Chornobyl and characterized Chornobyl accident as unprecedented.

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, said: "The Chornobyl disaster occurred due to the deficiencies in the design and wrong decisions. This is an example of the dire consequences caused by an imperfect technology. But it is also an example of outstanding courage and dedication of people." "Emission of Radiation in an explosion at Chornobyl was 200 times higher than the radioactivity after the explosion of atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 31 people were killed on the spot and several thousand people died from diseases caused by radiation. Half the globe felt consequences of this accident but Belarus and Ukraine were affected most of all. For these countries Chornobyl is not a historical event, but it is a problem of today and tomorrow. People are still suffering from radiation illnesses, while discharged in the result of explosion cesium 137 will keep polluting the environment in the next 10 years. I pay due tribute to the courage of thousands of people who were involved into the liquidation of the harmful effects of the accident and protected us from even more terrible dangers, while risking their health. This incident crossed borders and ideological barriers, touched everyone, regardless of gender and ethnicity. Chornobyl is a warning to all of us and ignoring it would be a manifestation of irresponsibility," Secretary General said in addition.

Consequences of the Chornobyl disaster had particularly harmful impact on the ecological and economic situation in Ukraine, for which Chornobyl problem today is one of the decisive; current situation in the state and its future largely depend on the successful solution of this problem. Explosion at the fourth block had led to the polluting of more than 145 thousand sq. km in Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation; nearly 5 million people were affected; radioactive nuclides contaminated about 5000 settlements of Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The Chornobyl accident led to an unprecedented population exposure to the radiation.

In particular, following indicators testify to the radiation-ecological and socio-demographic consequences of the Chornobyl disaster in Ukraine: area of radioactively contaminated territory comprises 53 454 square kilometers (4,8% of the country’s territory); contaminated farmland constitutes 4,6 million ha (12% of the total area); contaminated forests make up 25 357 square kilometers (40% of the total area).

In general, radioactive contamination covers 12 regions, 73 districts, 2293 settlements. 91.2 thousand people were evacuated out of the 76 settlements in 1986; 155 964 people were relocated and moved independently from the areas of contamination in the 1986-2002.

As of 1 January 2010 in Ukraine 2,376,218 people have the status of victims of the Chornobyl disaster, including 276 327 liquidators of the Chornobyl accident and 541 641 children. In the radioactive contamination zones live 1 974 868 people, including 440 018 children.

In the result of disaster 2294 settlements located on the territory of 77 rayons in 12 regions suffered radioactive contamination. While implementing state sanitary inspection, special attention is paid to the radiation protection of the population living on the territory that suffered most from the radioactive contamination in the result of the Chornobyl disaster.

Over 2 318,3 thousand people affected by the Chornobyl disaster, including 451,8 thousand children, were under the supervision at the Ministry of Health hospitals at the beginning of 2007. Over the past two years, the scope of coverage by the medical examinations of the affected population remains stable - 94.1 - 98,3% (97.8% of the liquidators of the accident, 98 - 99% of children).

The share of adult population, recognized as ill in the result of medical examinations has been increasing steadily and comprises 94,2% among the liquidators, among the evacuated population - 89,8%, among those living in the radioactively contaminated areas - 84.7%. The largest number of "liquidators", recognized as ill, are registered in c.Kyiv (99.85%), in Sumy (96.53%) and Donetsk (95.95%) regions.

Morbidity among the affected adult population is not decreasing, although stabilization of indicators for some of the leading classes of diseases, such as diseases of the nervous, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems should be emphasized. Nevertheless, diseases of cardiovascular and respiratory systems, traumas and poisonings do not have tendencies to decrease. Among the pediatric population that suffered from the accident and was indirectly exposed to its effects the indicator of ill comprises 79,8 %. Number of children who are under the constant medical monitoring is above 451.8 thousand people on the account of those born after the accident.

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissues significantly increased during the years after the disaster. According to the results of the research of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology Institute of the AMS of Ukraine, among the children permanently residing in the areas of radioactive contamination this pathology occurs twice as often as among children living in the relatively "clean" areas. Therefore, recent attention of doctors and scientists is focused on the increasing incidence of the pathology of the musculoskeletal system, both in children and in adults: increased prevalence of this pathology, frequency of pathological conditions is related to the disturbance of calcium-phosphorus metabolism and congenital defects of the musculoskeletal system.

The entire network of health institutions, ranging from the rayon policlinics to the hospitals at the research institutes is involved into the provision of medical assistance to the victims.

Outpatient treatment covers 92.4% of liquidators, 93.9% of evacuees, 88.7% of persons living in radioactively contaminated areas, 88.7% of children. The indicator of provision of the hospital examination and treatment to the affected people remains stable over the past three years. Liquidators provided with the medical treatment in 30,4-30,9%, 20% of the evacuated and 22,3% of the residents of contaminated territories.

People moved from an abandoned area around Chornobyl comprise the first category. The second consists of "liquidators" who worked at the station at the time of maximum health risk in 1986-1987. The third category - "liquidators" who worked at Chornobyl in 1988 - 1989. The fourth category comprises the population that continued to live in the highly contaminated area. Finally, the fifth group includes persons who lived or live far enough from Chornobyl, however, received some doses during the first months after release and ate food and drank water contaminated with radioactive elements.

 Today, after closing of the Chornobyl nuclear plant it is essential to provide serious support to Ukraine to cope with the entire set of medical, environmental, social and other problems that the country solves virtually alone at present.

No state can fully take over financing of the consequences of the Chornobyl NPP, especially related to assisting affected liquidators who put their health on the front line to protect the future generations. However, the state does not have money to help them. Liquidators united into the Ukrainian civic organization "Chornobyl Union of Ukraine" to help each other with the assistance of the good people, which are not indifferent to the other's pain.