A number of Russian businessmen decided to help Moldovan children who are urgently in need of surgery to have their backbone straightened. Businessman Mihail Fadeev, who heads a Russian charity fund, came to Moldova to collect facts about the situation of children suffering from scoliosis who need implants.
The Russian entrepreneurs joined the project of the public association “Moldova Mea”, which aims to raise funds especially for children with backbone problems. In a news conference at IPN, Mihail Fadeev said that a Moldovan young woman in Tveri town gave him a leaflet about Moldovan children suffering from scoliosis.
The entrepreneur contacted “Moldova Mea” to find out details and agreed to help the family of a 12-year-old girl who needs an operation immediately as she risks being confined to a wheelchair. Mihail Fadeev offered the family US$6,500 for the necessary implant and other costs.
“Moldova Mea” chairman Fiodor Ghelici said he made an appeal to the politicians of Moldova when they started to collect funds, but received no assistance. He now has a long list of children who need surgery for scoliosis urgently.
According to Fiodor Ghelici, the funds are mainly augmented by Romani volunteers who became actively involved in the drive and contacted Russian entrepreneurs in order to gather the necessary money.
Nicolae Savga, doctor of the Chisinau Pediatric Surgery Clinic, said the state does not cover the costs of implants of about US$5,000-6,000, while the children with backbone problems form part mainly of deprived families that cannot buy such an implant. The operation is free. The doctor expressed his regret at the fact that he annually manages to perform only 1/3 of the necessary operations as the parents cannot purchase the implants.
The Russian entrepreneurs plan to finance the purchase of medical equipment needed to perform surgeries on the spine. More than 60 children with scoliosis are now in need of surgery.
