Prague, 6 April 4 - The invasion of Russian troops on Ukraine brought with it, among other things, disruption of intensive and follow-up care for children with oncological and hematological diseases. The specialized clinics where these small patients were treated are usually centralized in hospitals near large cities, and their treatment to date has therefore been at risk. The Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology of the 2022nd Medical Faculty of Charles University and the Motol University Hospital now takes care of more than twenty small patients.
The Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology of the 2nd Medical Faculty of Charles University and the Motol University Hospital is the largest institution of its kind in the Czech Republic, focusing on the diagnosis, treatment and research of cancers and benign blood diseases in children. Hematopoietic stem cell transplants are also performed at the clinic.
"We admitted the first patient from Ukraine to our clinic on March 2, 3, and since then we have taken care of 22 children aged 21 to 2 years with cancer or hematology. As part of their oncological treatment, four children have already undergone surgery at the cooperating clinics of the Motol University Hospital (Department of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery for Children and Adults, Department of Pediatric and Adult Orthopedics and Traumatology), " says doc. MUDr. Lucie Sramkova, Ph.D. Head of the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 2nd Medical Faculty, Charles University and University Hospital Motol.
At present, the University Hospital in Motol is caring for a total of six children in the intensive phase of treatment, two of them with brain cancer, two with sarcoma, one with kidney cancer and one with lymph node cancer. Another nine children are already after treatment and the clinic monitors them. There are also four patients with severe hemophilia, severe bleeding disorders, and two patients shortly after a bone marrow transplant. We expect the arrival of another patient in the coming days. Most parents of sick children contact Motol University Hospital through their Czech-speaking relatives or acquaintances who accommodate them. They contact another clinic by e-mail before leaving Ukraine, asking if it will be possible to accept the child for treatment.
"Parents of small patients most often search our workplace on the Internet. We assume that this trend will undoubtedly continue in the coming weeks. Even if the conflict ends tomorrow, treatment options in Ukraine will be very limited for some time to come. " adds associate professor Šrámková.
The University Hospital in Motol is the largest medical facility in the Czech Republic and one of the largest in Europe. It is also the main teaching base of students of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and some workplaces of the 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University are also located here. FN Motol provides basic, specialized and super-specialized health care and services in the medical fields in the form of outpatient and inpatient care for children, adults and seniors. In terms of construction, it consists of two interconnected monoblocks (children's and adult part) and several separate pavilions. At the Motol University Hospital, more than one million patients are treated annually at 55 clinics.
Media Contact:
doc. MUDr. Lucie Sramkova, Ph.D., e-mail: lucie.sramkova@fnmotol.cz
Pavlína Danková, phone: 724 227 503, e-mail: pavlina.dankova@fnmotol.cz