Vancouver man raises money to buy insulin for diabetics in war-ravaged Ukraine
Posted May 6, 2022 7:14 am.
Last Updated May 6, 2022 7:15 am.
As the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to cut off access to critical supplies, there are growing concerns for millions of people living with diabetes in that country.
Diabetes has a 9.5 per cent prevalence in the world population. When it comes to the 2.5 million people living with the disease in war-ravaged Ukraine, access to insulin is hard to come by.
To combat the insulin crisis in the country, Arlen Hansen, president of Kin Communications, decided to start a fundraising campaign. The money raised through the GoFundMe will go to purchasing insulin, which will then be transported to Ukraine.
Hansen says being a diabetic himself and having people close to him struggle with the condition gives him “a pretty big understanding of this silent pandemic that is really challenging the world and our health care systems.”
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He says it’s hard not to be affected by what’s going on in Ukraine. After reading about the lack of access to insulin, he knew he needed to act.
“We can’t stop where Russia decides to attack; but we can make a very significant difference by supplying insulin and the medical equipment required to manage their type one diabetes,” he said.
Hansen’s company is working with medical company NuGen M.D., Draganfly Inc., and Coldchain Technology Services to get needle-free injection devices with insulin to Ukraine.
The devices will be made by NuGen M.D. in the Netherlands, then filled with insulin. Shipments will later be trucked to Poland by Coldchain, since the insulin needs to be kept at a stable temperature. To get the devices to high-conflict areas, Draganfly medical response drones will be used, in collaboration with the ‘Revive Soldiars Ukraine’ organization.
The initial goal for the project is to first raise $250,000 for the insulin purchases. As of Friday morning, close to $60,000 had been raised.
Hansen says enough money has been raised to start processing the first shipment of insulin in the next few days. According to the GoFundMe page, the eventual goal is $5 million, though Hansen says this issue is ongoing.
“That’s the sad reality right now, there’s an immediate need, but there will be an ongoing need for a very long future.”
Hansen says there are other communities and countries in the world who need this same support and hopes this project can become something bigger down the road.
