Supplies are reaching refugees
Dr. Mankovsky said: “Now we have huge movement of refugees. Among them are a lot of people with diabetes who moved out of their place and nobody knows where they are. It’s really a huge disruption.”
According to the type 1 diabetes advocacy organization JDRF, many men with diabetes aged 18-60 are remaining in Ukraine to fight, despite the increased risk with the disease. But an estimated 15,000 children with type 1 diabetes and their families are attempting to escape the conflict by moving to the western regions of the country or over the borders.
“Those who make it to Hungary, Moldova, Poland, or Romania are being received with wonderful generosity. We have heard stories ranging from governments making it possible to pick up insulin free without a script to individuals emptying their cupboards of insulin for those whose need is urgent,” JDRF said in a statement on March 2.
For its part, Novo Nordisk has donated 55 million Danish kroner (about 7.3 million Euros, or $8.2 million U.S. dollars) to support international relief organizations in assisting refugees.
Ivan Tkac, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Safárik University in Kosice, Slovakia, is assisting refugees, including those with diabetes. Slovakia is predominantly a transit country for refugees from Ukraine, he said in an interview.
“However, in solidarity with Ukraine, we are providing emergency medical care for both Ukrainians and refugees from third countries leaving Ukraine,” he said, noting that those individuals are primarily foreign students who had been studying there.
“Asylum seekers receive full medical insurance paid by the government of the Slovak Republic. As part of this care, the refugees are provided with the necessary amount of insulin and other antidiabetic drugs, as well as medical devices needed for the treatment of diabetes. The European Commission has pledged to supply Slovakia with the necessary quantities of medicines for the treatment of diabetes in the coming weeks as part of its assistance to the countries bordering Ukraine. In addition, some humanitarian organizations are organizing supplies of insulin and other medicines for soldiers fighting in the Ukrainian army,” Dr. Tkac said.
How you can help
A number of organizations are providing assistance specifically to people with diabetes, as well as broader medical assistance to people remaining in Ukraine and to refugees.
A collaboration between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the humanitarian agency Direct Relief, and the International Diabetes Federation is working to determine where supplies are short, to secure donations within Europe, and to open up “green corridors” within Ukraine to deliver them quickly to where they’re needed. They have asked those who wish to help to donate to Direct Relief and direct donations to the “Ukraine crisis.”
Another effort organized by IDF Europe is Connect Solidarity, a program that “aims to facilitate support from IDF Europe member associations across Europe wishing to help other national diabetes associations in Ukraine’s neighboring countries, provide advice, medicines, and supplies to Ukrainian refugees.”
IDF President Andrew Boulton, MD, told this news organization that he has been in almost daily contact with senior colleagues working in diabetes in Ukraine, and that he is working with the organization’s affiliated charity Life for a Child in addition to the other charitable agencies. “We will continue to do our utmost best to help those with diabetes living in Ukraine. However, this is, of course, very challenging, and we hope that we are doing the best we can in such a difficult situation. We all hope and pray that this situation is soon resolved.”
The European Association for the Study of Diabetes is taking a somewhat different approach, by encouraging its members to “support people with ill health, including diabetes, with donations through established [nongovernmental organizations] that have the capacity to help on site, such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or International Committee of the Red Cross.”
Dr. Mankovsky told this news organization that he is very grateful for all the support from around the world: “Just thanks. I’ve got so much support, so many phone calls, so many letters ... not just me, all of us. People wise and friendship wise we feel support. It’s really important, emotionally and with insulin supply and other medications. Without that, it would be much more difficult.”