Another $5 million has been allocated by Direct Relief, one of the largest U.S. humanitarian organizations, for the purchase of medicines for forced migrants from Ukraine residing in Poland. Thanks to the new funding, Health4Ukraine, a globally unique support program launched jointly with epruf s.a., will continue to grow.
The new funding for the program was announced on September 7 during the Economic Forum in Karpacz by Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief, and Jacek Szwajcowski, President of Pelion S.A.
Direct Relief expresses its deep gratitude to Pelion for creating this direct and highly effective vehicle to help purchase medicines for those forced to leave their homes in Ukraine, Thomas Tighe said during the press conference.
Pelion S.A.’s CEO, thanking them for their trust, stressed that cooperation with Direct Relief makes a real difference in the lives of Ukrainian citizens who have found refuge in Poland. These are primarily mothers with children and the elderly who need constant health care and medication.
The Health4Ukraine program helps these vulnerable and defenseless people recover in a new and difficult reality. We rely on a proven, tested and successful system that has been in operation for 13 years, developed by epruf, which is part of Pelion. It guarantees that aid goes directly to Ukrainian patients,” said Jacek Szwajcowski.
A letter from U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski was also read during the meeting, in which he expressed his appreciation for the program.The Health4Ukraine program is an excellent example of how close cooperation between American private entities such as Direct Relief and Polish counterparts such as Pelion gives real hope to people in crisis, these words from the Ambassador’s letter were quoted by Julianne Parker, Commercial Counselor at the American Embassy.
Thanks to the support received from Direct Relief, more Ukrainian citizens who have taken refuge in Poland from the ongoing war will be able to benefit from subsidies for the purchase of prescription and OTC drugs at all pharmacies in Poland.
In the first stage of the program, launched in April this year, aid went to 100,000 needy people. This was made possible by Direct Relief’s donation of a record $10 million in cash aid in its history. The funds allowed epruf to issue 100,000 electronic codes for the purchase of a wide range of medicines from various categories, including anti-diabetic drugs, as well as those used to treat respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous system diseases.
Since the beginning, the Health4Ukraine program has been implemented under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.I sincerely thank everyone who has joined in and donated to the Health4Ukraine program. However, the scale of the needs is still huge, so we cordially invite other donors to join us,” the Pelion S.A. CEO added in conclusion.
Pelion companies do not stop in providing assistance to the citizens of Ukraine. Since the outbreak of the war, they have been providing multi-channel assistance: medical, psychological, financial and material, organizing charity collections, sending humanitarian transports, and helping to provide temporary shelter.
With additional support from Pelion in the amount of $1 million, the offer of assistance to Ukrainian patients has been expanded to include teleportation in Ukrainian, provided by Dimedic clinic doctors 7 days a week. They have already provided more than 15,000 free online and telephone medical consultations for Ukrainian patients. You can register for online medical consultations through https://www.dimedic-ukrayina.eu Forced migrants can get advice within 2 hours, including prescription renewal, emergency care, referral for specialized treatment, among others.
Direct Relief operates in 50 US states and more than 80 countries. Its mission is to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies – regardless of politics, religion or financial ability. It is one of the few NGOs recognized by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health as “international partners,” alongside institutions such as the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
In response to needs reported by the Ukrainian side, Direct Relief has already delivered more than 900 tons of medicines and medical supplies, used to treat a variety of conditions (including cancer, diabetes), injuries and Covid-19 therapy.
The organization also responded to an appeal for resources to respond to chemical attacks. Aid has gone to more than 400 health care facilities in Ukraine and neighboring countries. Direct Relief has also committed more than $20 million in cash assistance to organizations serving Ukrainians in Ukraine and neighboring countries. Read more at: https://www.DirectRelief.org
The epruf company, owned by Pelion, is a Polish fintech that has been operating for 13 years in Poland. It specializes in smart cards and mobile solutions that enable cashless settlement of transactions and insurance benefits. In its 13 years of operation, it has issued more than 5 million cards and processed more than 33 million transactions. Read more at: https://eprufpartner.pl
Dimedic, also part of Pelion, is one of the largest telemedicine companies, operating for 7 years in Poland and Lithuania. It offers consultations with a doctor within 60 minutes, providing medical care 7 days a week. Nearly 200,000 Poles remain under the care of Dimedic doctors. More at: https://dimedic.eu