Ukraine crisis: Resources for health professionals

Updated March 15, 2022

The following list of resources is intended for clinicians, health professionals, patient advocates, and those aiding in the humanitarian effort.

To add or update your organization’s Ukraine response on this list, please fill out this form.

World Health Organization

World Health Organization is working to meet the needs of refugees with a history of cancer diagnosis; as a starting point.

WHO convened nearly 20 partners last week to identify their current activities to support the situation in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Consensus was reached on needs, role, and responsibilities. 

WHO will continue in its coordination role, gathering data on current status of care in Ukrainian centres and cancer centres in neighboring countries; stay alert to early communication of needs and enable multi-sectoral responses including for delays in receiving cancer products; and facilitate joint advocacy. 

WHO routinely reports progress, anticipated with weekly news flashes, and are looking to build or leverage an existing data portal to convey current status. 

In order to enable these activities, WHO is also organizing a meeting with cancer centres in EURO, particularly focusing on eastern Europe early next week.

United States of America

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society has a resource hub and 24-hour care hotline—with information  and support services—for cancer patients in Ukraine, available here. 

ACS is networking with several partners, including ASCO and Jefferson Health, to form a consolidated, rapid response to the crisis.

ACS is also seeking cancer support resources and volunteer clinicians, and is mobilizing to support countries offering relief to evacuated patients.

A story about the efforts of ACS and partners to connect Ukrainian cancer patients to resources can be found here.

American Society of Clinical Oncology

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has a Ukraine Crisis Resource Page with information for cancer patients in Ukraine and neighboring countries here.

A story about the ECO-ASCO Special Network can be found here.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

The St. Jude Global Team is working to coordinate the humanitarian efforts in the Ukraine crisis and assist with the transition and continuation of clinical care and treatment of children with hemato-oncologic diseases from Ukraine. 

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital can be contacted at: stjude4ukraine@stjude.org

A questionnaire for pediatric hematology/oncology clinics capable of receiving refugees from Ukraine is available here.

A story highlighting some of St. Jude’s efforts can be found here.

Ukrainian Medical Association of North America

The Ukrainian Medical Association of North America can be contacted at: umanahelpua@gmail.com.

A list of supplies requested by this organization can be found here.

A story about UMANA’s efforts to send medical supplies to Ukraine can be found here.

U.S. Department of State

The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships has established a public-private partnership with GoFundMe.org to direct funds to organizations that are helping to address the humanitarian needs of those impacted by the Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine.  

This partnership with GoFundMe.org is designed to mobilize private-sector donations and individual giving to support relief organizations aiding those impacted by Russia’s actions.

Businesses, philanthropies, and individuals interested in supporting the humanitarian response can visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/ukraine-humanitarian-fund  to learn more. 

Please note: while recipient organizations identified have undergone due diligence, the Department must disclaim any and all responsibility or liability for donor and GoFundMe transactions relating to this fundraiser.

To help promote the campaign on social media, donors are encouraged to include the campaign’s website and the hashtag #UnitedWithUkraine in social media posts.

To learn more about how to partner with the U.S. Department of State, interested parties can contact the Office of Global Partnerships at partnerships@state.gov. For further updates, visit https://www.state.gov/united-with-ukraine or follow @GPatState on Twitter.

Non-U.S. citizens are permitted to apply for visas at any of our open U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. We are encouraging several websites be shared broadly, to ensure that up-to-date information is available and accessible. While one link is specifically for Poland, much of the information within regarding visas can be utilized in other countries:

Releases – United States Department of State

Humanitarian Assistance and Visa Information for Ukrainians who have Evacuated to Poland – U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Poland (usembassy.gov)

This website provides information on:

• Humanitarian assistance
• Immigrant visas
• Nonimmigrant visas

We have call centers activated and they have had capacity to handle all calls and requests for information. 

• On February 24, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.  The Russian Federation’s premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified invasion of Ukraine now prevents Ukrainian nationals and habitual residents without nationality from returning to Ukraine in safety. 
• On the statutory bases of ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent Ukrainian nationals from safely returning home, the Department of Homeland Security has designated Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months.    
• The Secretary of Homeland Security has the sole authority to designate a foreign state for Temporary Protected Status, after consultation with appropriate government agencies, including the Department of State.  We do not comment on internal U.S. government deliberations.
• For questions regarding duration of status in the United States and Secretary Mayorkas’ designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status, we refer you to the Department of Homeland Security.
• We are working closely with European allies and partners who are on the front lines of the response, as well as international organizations and NGOs, to support those displaced internally within Ukraine and those who are seeking safety in neighboring countries.  
• We expect most displaced Ukrainians will stay in neighboring countries or elsewhere in the EU where they can travel visa free and where they have family and large diaspora communities, in the hope they can return home soon.  
• We commend our European Allies and partners for keeping their borders open to Ukrainian nationals and others fleeing Ukraine seeking international protection. We are particularly grateful to Ukraine’s neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Moldova, and Hungary, who have opened their doors and set up welcome centers for the more than 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine. 

Europe

European Cancer Organisation

Cancer patients and healthcare providers in Ukraine and neighboring countries can access multilingual resources here.

Information on the ECO-ASCO Special Network designed to assess the impact of the war in Ukraine and respond to the crisis is available here.

A story about the network can be found here.

European Society for Medical Oncology

The European Society for Medical Oncology plans to offer the following resources: 

• Remote/virtual consultations with faculty, even in the absence of medical charts 
• Additional connections to ESMO industry leadership
• Contacts with local oncologists from the region as well as national representatives
• Support for the move of cancer doctors/nurses

ESMO also hopes to use its annual meeting in Paris, held Sept. 9-13, 2022, as a platform to connect for next steps, said Solange Peters, ESMO president.

ILGA-Europe

ILGA-Europe, the European branch of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association, said the organization has two main cancer-related concerns for LGBTI people in the context of the crisis:

• Access to ongoing hormone therapies—cessation or fluctuation in access to these medicines creates a cancer risk, primarily breast cancer, but also gonadal cancers.
• Many intersex people who still have their gonads have a scheduled cancer screening every 3-6 months. 

ILGA-Europe is coordinating with WHO/UNAIDS to try to ensure that ongoing care with respect to medicines is included in humanitarian packages. At the moment, there are also concerns about potential stock-outs in reception countries, on top of the current inaccessibility of hormone therapies within Ukraine. 

The WHO includes hormone therapies on their Essential Medicines List, and so the ask is that effort is made to ensure that these medicines make it into humanitarian packages. 

For more information, Cianán Russell, ILGA-Europe senior policy officer, can be reached at cianan@ilga-europe.org or +32478120076.

European Society for Paediatric Oncology

To ensure continuity of life-saving treatment for children with cancer, the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOP Europe) is working with national members and partners CCI Europe and St. Jude to: 

• Keep track of availability of beds in pediatric oncology wards in neighboring countries; 
• Organize patient transfer to neighboring countries; 
• Track government updates on assistance offered to refugee children; 
• Keep track of availability of shelter for families of childhood cancer patients; 
• Mobilize funds to sustain children and adolescents with cancer and their families from Ukraine.

More information is available here.

Ukraine

Kyiv City Clinical Oncology Center

The Kyiv City Clinical Oncology Center has launched a hotline for patients with cancer.

Rivne Oncologic Dispensary

Biosense, the representative of Elekta in Ukraine, said the Rivne Oncologic Dispensary (in the western part of Ukraine) urgently requires:

• Zoladex (Goserelin) 10.8 mg
• Bicalutamide 50 mg 
• Aromasin (exemestane)
• Letromara (Letrozole)
• 5-Fluorouracil
• Docetaxel
• Oxaliplatine 
• Calcium folinate
• Capecitabine
• Emaplug
• Eryttropoetin
• Laferobion
• Tamoxifen 20 mg
• Everolimus
• Temomedac
• Trastuzumab
• Oxygen concentrator 

The Biosense team can provide all needed info and logistic requirements. Please contact: asheptitska@biosense.net.ua

Ukrainian Psycho-oncology Association

Psychologists, members of UPOA, continue to provide psychological support. UPOA has created a list of contacts for free consultations, available via Facebook. 

UPOA can be contacted via Facebook messenger or at ukrpsyonco@gmail.com.

Poland

Alivia Onkofundacja

The Alivia Onkofundacja in Warsaw has launched a website for Ukrainian cancer patients here.

Polish National Health Fund

The website of the Polish National Health Fund has a site for Ukrainian patients (in Ukrainian) here. Their call center in Ukrainian can be reached at +48 800 190 590. More resources from the National Health Fund / Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia (NFZ) can be found here. 

Romania

Information about seeking protection in Romania can be found here. 

Anybody fleeing Ukraine can enter Romania through any of the official border crossings. Ukrainian nationals carrying any valid passport can enter Romania on a short stay status for 90 days and ask for asylum either immediately or at any later point during their stay. Those who want to apply for asylum at the border point can enter Romania without documents.

The Romanian Border Police have a helpline in Ukrainian at +40219590.

Hotlines for specific Romanian cities include:

• Brașov, Romania
  Hotline dedicated to Ukrainian citizens who have arrived or are about to arrive in Brașov (RO, UA, RU): +40371.784.071
• Sibiu, Romania
  Sibiu City Hall’s TelVerde, through the Social Assistance Department: +40800 811 822
• Timișoara, Romania
  Call center at Timișoara City Hall: +40356 993

Slovakia

Slovakia has a mental health support page, provided here in Ukrainian. 

Slovakia also has a health line for Ukraine. A quick consultation in Ukrainian is available free of charge, daily from 7:00 to 19:00, by phone or via online chat at +421 2 21025075 or at this link. 

This line does not serve as a first aid line. It is intended for orientation in the Slovak health care system and consultation of health status with medical staff. In case of an urgent problem, call the number 155 or 112.

Slovak League against Cancer

Slovak League against Cancer can help colleagues from abroad in communicating with the Slovak healthcare facilities/providers and provide up-to-date information about the situation. 

Contact: lpr@lpr.sk, +421 2/52 92 17 35, 

More information is available here. 

Hungary

Hungarian National Institute of Oncology

Ukrainian citizens in need of information about the available oncology treatments and assistance provided in Hungary can call the Hungarian National Institute of Oncology hotline (+36 1 224 8600 ext. 1110) on working days from 8:00 to 15:00. 

In addition, information can be obtained by writing to menekultellatas@oncol.hu, refugeecancercare@oncol.hu, and ukrbejencionkologia@oncol.hu. 

Users should share relevant information about the oncology status of those in need in your request in order to refer patients to the appropriate care as efficiently as possible.

Lithuania

National Cancer Institute of Lithuania

The National Cancer Institute of Lithuania aims to support Ukraine’s cancer patients and oncologists. 

Birute Brasiuniene, medical oncologist and head of the department of medical oncology of NCI of Lithuania, can be contacted at birute.brasiuniene@nvi.lt

Czech Republic

For general information on the provision of medical care to refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic: +420 226 20 1221. 

Czech National Cancer Control Programme

A list of comprehensive oncology care centers in the Czech Republic to which citizens of Ukraine with oncological diseases can apply for the purpose of continuing oncological treatment can be found here. 

France

A list of resources for refugees entering France, in Ukrainian, can be found here. 

International and disease-specific groups

Lymphoma Coalition

The Lymphoma Coalition response to the Ukraine conflict is available here, with a resource list and database of current Ukrainian Hematology Units capacities that is updated regularly and hospitals abroad ready to admit patients.  

We have been working restlessly to put in place support for the haematologists working at the frontlines in Ukraine, in coordination with the president of the Ukrainian Hematologie Association, Irina Kryachok; and to coordinate support to the patients.

• We have a list of receiving centres in a number of countries. This is continually being expanded. This list also has gathered information on the current capacity of haematology units in Ukraine. We have a list of 124 Ukrainian patients with lymphoma/CLL and other hem diseases who need to access care outside of Ukraine soon. We are translating the summaries of these patients.
• Medical students in their final year in Ukraine are helping translate patient medical information, with final content reviewed by Irina before it is forwarded to the receiving hospital.
• Actively connecting hospitals in Ukraine on how to access medical supplies with pharma companies and also forwarding lists to those who specialise in disaster relief so that these needed medicines and supplies are included in upcoming relief packages.
• We have centralised our task force communications connected in a Whatsapp group. This has been effective until now to keep everyone informed and coordinated.
• We are working with ASCO, ECO, EU Bodies, Eurordis, Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, ERNs, etc.

Lymphoma Coalition has a direct link into the Ukrainian Hematology Association whereby we are able to quite quickly get basic medical information on hematology patients. While other databases are being built, please contact us and we can help at least with this patient population. This includes a pre-populated a list with over 130 patients on it. 

Contacts: Natacha Bolanos, head of membership & alliances, natachab@lymphomacoalition.org; Lorna Warwick, CEO, lorna@lymphomacoalition.org.

International Brain Tumour Alliance

IBTA is in the process of building an online resources page for brain tumour patients and their families fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. We are working with ECO, ASCO, EURORDIS, the European Reference Networks (ERNs), WECAN and others to pool our resources and the information we have gathered. Contact Kathy Oliver, Chair and Co-Director, International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA) at kathy@theibta.org.

Neuro-oncology societies joint statement

The following organizations have issued a joint statement:

• European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO)
• Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO)
• International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA)
• EURACAN, Domain 10 (the European Reference Network for Rare Adult Solid Tumours, Brain and CNS Tumour Subgroup)
• Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO)
• World Federation of Neuro-Oncology Societies (WFNOS)

Mercy Bridge 

Mercy Bridge, a Russian organization for patients with hematological diseases, has patient information in Russian and Ukrainian, for both myelodisplastic syndrome and multiple myeloma. 

Global Coalition of Radiotherapy

The Global Coalition of Radiotherapy (GCR) is an international community of individuals, professional bodies and industry created in response to the global COVID pandemic.

GCR is spearheading and establishing a Radiotherapy Task Force, and invites anyone in the radiotherapy and radiation oncology community to join an emergency meeting of the GCR on March 15 at 1:30 CET.

GCR Ukraine data is available here. 

Contact dlaird@globalradiotherapy.org for more information about the meeting and to coordinate efforts.

CML Advocates Network

Lidija Pecova, head of member relations, events & programme Manager, CML Advocates Network, is coordinating the support for the CML patients. She can be reached at +389 7838 8235 or lidija@cmladvocates.net