The richest person of Ukraine launched a project which is unrivalled in the country.
 

The Member of Parliament, the President of FC Shakhtar, and the richest person in Ukraine Rinat Akhmetov is committed to defeat TB in the country. Judging by the scale of the project presented by SCM’s Foundation for Development of Ukraine, the epidemic will really have to step back as our nation has never seen such a TB-fighting campaign before. Anticipating possible questions, he explained straight away:

 
“Why exactly TB? Because, unfortunately, my family suffered from this disaster too. My elder brother was infected by TB and has just a half of lung left. And only because we helped and supported him at the right time, he survived and recovered. Now I want to help other people”.

So, in this manner the Donetsk oligarch launched Stop TB Project in the Donbass capital.
 

We should mention that the project is national and the program designed for five years will cover the whole Ukraine. Moreover, the Memorandum, which gives everybody an opportunity to join the project, was signed at the presentation. The first people to sign the project were Rinat Akhmetov; Vladimir Logvinenko, Donetsk Governor; and Anatoly Blizniuk, Donetsk Regional Council Chairman. Though given the status of delegates arrived to the presentation in Donetsk, almost all Ukrainian politicians and important businessmen took interest in the project. The project presentation was attended by Tatyana Bakhteyeva, Nina Karpachyova, Sergey Bubka, Sergey Taruta, Vladimir Boiko, Evgeniy Chervonenko, many governors and heads of regional councils, well-known footballers, doctors, international NGOs officials, etc. The leading international and Ukrainian specialists, in particular the WHO and Yanovskiy National Institute of Phthisiology and Pulmonology are involved in development and implementation of the program. The Memorandum is open for everybody to join.

According to the project, TB will be hit from “three front lines”. First of all, the base will be established on the national level – improving regulatory framework, launching a training center for TB doctors, and an anti-TB health resort for children.

At the same time, a nation-wide awareness raising campaign promoting a healthy style of living will be rolled out in Ukraine. Hot lines and consulting centers will be created.

And finally, the regions will join with anti-TB programs at the local level.

The Foundation for Development of Ukraine, headed by Rinat Akhmetov, has pledged to provide UAH 100m within five years for the program implementation.

By Yekaterina Kuzicheva
Source: Ukraine: Daily newspapers: "Komsomolskaya Pravda in Ukrainye"
Published on: 19 May, 2007