The first meeting of the Supervisory Board, set up by Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation for Development of Ukraine, took place on 19 January. The Board will provide help to the survivors and families of casualties and decide on the use of funds allocated by the Foundation. The Board includes members of city and regional authorities, the Foundation, the Red Cross, priests and journalists (see Annex).

Anatoliy Zabolotny, Director of Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation for Development of Ukraine: "First of all, the Board was established for transparency. The public must know how the provided funds are used. Secondly, we must allocate money where it is most needed, to address first-priority objectives. It was Rinat Akhmetov's personal decision to help in this situation. We decided to help the survivors and families of casualties. We will pay special attention to the families with underage children. Thirdly, to coordinate activities of everyone participating in the relief operations".

The explosion destroyed the pulmonology department especially needed during the new wave of the flu epidemic. The Board decided to distribute doctors temporarily across various medical institutions in Luhansk. The Foundation for Development of Ukraine will help organize a pulmonology service in hospital No.1 within ten days. In the shortest time, artificial respirators will be purchased with the money provided by the Foundation. The doctors will start using them at their temporary working places and transfer them to hospital No.7 after the destroyed hospital departments have been restored.

We remind that in the morning on 18 January Hospital No.7 in Luhansk suffered an explosion, which killed 16 people. Another 6 people were taken to hospital (numbers are given as of 20 January, 07:00). Rinat Akhmetov, President of the Foundation for Development of Ukraine, in his address to the survivors and families of the casualties assured that the Foundation would take care of every survivor and every bereaved family. The assistance, including financial help, will be given to every underage child, whose parents suffered in the explosion. For this purpose, the Foundation allocates the amount of UAH 1 million, which can be changed after the entire scale of the loss and damage becomes clear.

For more information about the situation in Luhansk, visit the Foundation's blog at: http://akhmetovfoundation.blogspot.com/ .

Press office
Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation
for Development of Ukraine
+38044 502 52 12

Annex

Supervisory Board members:

 
1. Vladimir Zablotskiy, Deputy Chairman, Luhansk Regional State Administration
2. Anatoliy Zabolotny, Director, Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation for Development of Ukraine
3. Alexandra Litvinenko, First Deputy Head, Department for Family, Youth and Sports, Luhansk Regional State Administration
4. Irina Mikhaylik, Project Manager, Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation for Development of Ukraine
5. Vladimir Chesnokov, rector of St. Andrew's Church, Luhansk
6. Olga Kudayeva, Chairman, Luhansk Regional Organization of Red Cross Society
7. Tatyana Vorontsova, Chairman, AMI Vostok-Skhid, Regional Youth Organization of People with Disabilities
8. Vitaliy Shapovalov, Journalist, Luhansk regional cable TV
9. Yuriy Sviderskiy, Journalist, Luhansk regional TV
10. Tatyana Shirina, Head, Healthcare Department, Luhansk City Council