A ceremony was held in New York to honor an American doctor and a charitable organization that have made a significant contribution to the field of health care in Ukraine.
According to Ukrinform, the order was awarded to Manoj Abraham, an American reconstructive surgeon, and Project CURE, a non-profit organization that supplies medical equipment. The order was received by its Executive Director, Douglas Jackson.
The awards were presented at the Ukrainian Institute of America by Andrii Bazylevych, the head of the World Federation of Ukrainian Medical Associations and professor at Lviv Medical University.
“Although the Order of St. Panteleimon has traditionally been awarded to the best Ukrainian doctors, last year we decided to extend this idea beyond Ukraine's borders, since with the beginning of the full-scale war, much aid started flowing to Ukrainian hospitals from other countries,” said Tetiana Tymkiv, President of the U.S. Foreign Council of the Order of St. Panteleimon.
According to her, foreign councils have been established in 12 countries.
The U.S. council includes 12 members from well-known Ukrainian organizations in different states.
“Our task was to identify doctors, medics, philanthropists, or organizations that help Ukraine in the field of healthcare,” Tymkiv explained.
According to her, many candidates were nominated, “and they are all worthy people.”
Dr. Abraham, Chairman of the Face to Face initiative committee at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, was selected for the award.
With the beginning of the full-scale war, Face to Face specialists realized that Ukraine would need their help because of possible injuries.
The New York-based charitable organization Razom for Ukraine ("Together for Ukraine") helped them establish contacts with our country and organize the trip.
The team of doctors worked in the western regions of Ukraine on nearly a hundred patients, both military and civilians, with serious facial injuries.
Project CURE is a non-profit organization that helps more than 130 countries around the world.
It started cooperating with Ukraine long before the full-scale invasion.
According to Tymkiv, the organization transports medical aid to Ukraine in containers, including advanced, high-quality medical equipment for operating rooms.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the organization has donated over $50 million worth of aid to Ukraine.
The Order of St. Panteleimon, the highest public award for professionalism and charity, is given for significant results in healthcare and the spiritual and physical development of Ukrainian society. In 2009, the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine first presented the award, named after the patron saint of doctors, to individuals who have distinguished themselves with outstanding achievements and made a contribution to the development of healthcare and medical science. This summer, on the Day of the Medical Workers and the Day of St. Panteleimon, Ukraine’s best medics were awarded in Kyiv.